Manor House tube station ventilation grille

by Roy aka Smiffy

May 25, 2009

Manor House is probably my favourite London Underground station. Architect Charles Holden. Opened in September 1932. These beautiful bronze ventilation grilles are the work of Harold Stabler RDI (Royal Designer for Industry a distinction established by the Royal Society of Arts) The grilles depict the nearby Finsbury Park gates and fauna and flora. Harold Stabler was a notable metalworker and designer including work in gold and silver. The original tiles were made by Carter’s Poole Pottery and some have been sympathetically replaced during recent refurbishment. Harold Stabler was associated with the pottery.

  • John D

    I think there's something similar at Turnpike Lane, showing horse and cart on the turnpike.

    May 25, 2009

  • StephenBln

    Manor House is also my favourite Underground station, probably because like you, it was the 'home' station of my childhood. Days out, often started here and the anticipation of a day out, waiting for the train as well as the push - pull draughts of the trains has stayed in my memory.

    The 1959 stock trains built for the Piccadilly line were first sent to the Central line, which had overcrowding problems and it wasn't until the 1962 Central line stock was built that the 1923 built trains in service on the Picadilly line were withdrawn..
    At that time there also used to be non-stopping trains on the Piccadilly line, that didn't stop at Arsenal, Holloway Road and Russell Square, I think it was.. these were discontinued in the 1960s.

    May 25, 2009

  • Roy aka Smiffy

    Thanks John, next time im in London must get up to Turnpike Lane to take some pictures. My picture of the grille at Manor House is many years old and the tiles may be cleaner now.

    Stephen, yes, exciting days out - usually to relatives, would often start at the station, and I always liked Manor House station because it seemed very 'modern' compared to all the other inner London stations.
    Lots of handy exits when playing 'runouts' with friends. The telehones at the bottom of the pub entrance stairs would often cough up a few pence, left after people had pushed button 'B' and not taken their pennies from the cup.

    Having a mechanical interest, the ticket machines held a fascination for me when they were opened up by the ticket office staff when a ticket got stuck.

    Across the road from our house in Woodberry Grove was the LT transformer station and behind it, still, is the ventilator shaft. Another of our off-limit playgrounds! The house next to it, 10 Woodberry Grove was owned by LT. My parents good friends Jock and Jenny lived there. Jock painted Routemasters, by hand. I still have one of his LT marked brushes.

    May 26, 2009