Uxbridge

 I hadn't intended doing two stations today but as there wasn't much to see at Hillingdon I decided to push on and complete the last station on this branch line. So this is Uxbridge. This is the 22nd station I have visited on the Metropolitan Line, leaving me 13 more to visit on this line. Out of a total of 272 different underground stations, this is the 177th station I have explored leaving just 95 to go!

The Harrow and Uxbridge Railway which later became the Metropolitan Railway opened a station in Uxbridge in July 1904. The current station dates from 1938 and serves both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines.

It is a large impressive station with a concrete arched canopy stretching out from the ticket hall over the platforms. Near the top of the canopy is a row of windows providing natural light onto the platforms.

There is much at this station that is original including the Buffet sign pointing you towards the cafe. I had completely forgotten that cafes were always called buffets on railway stations.

Another of the Mark Wallinger labyrinths created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground in 2013. Each one is different and  can be found at every tube station except the two new ones on the Northern Line. I am looking for the first one in the series. This is 34 out of 270.

As you leave the station you can't miss the stained glass windows by Erwin Bossanyi. The one on the left is the arms of Middlesex County Council. The one on the right is associated with Buckinghamshire whilst the middle one is thought to be the arms of the Basset family used by Uxbridge District Council in 1948.

The station was designed by Charles Holden and is Grade II listed as are most of the stations he designed. The  paired sculptures by Joseph Armitage over the entrance, represent stylised winged wheels as an acknowledgement to the trolley buses which used the large forecourt as a turning circle.

The original sign and roundel outside the station.

The station exits onto a busy High Street. I crossed over the road to look at the church opposite.

The oldest parts of the Church of St Margaret date from c.1240 although there may have been a church here since the 7th century. Around 1820, the tower was rebuilt and the interior was completely restored by the Victorians who replaced most of the stained glass and furnishings. I was unable to see inside the church as it wasn't open when I visited.

Beside the church is the Town's Pump. Uxbridge was supplied with piped water until c1800 when the Grand Junction Canal was built severing the old timber pipes. Wells then had to be dug in the Town Centre and this pump is the 'last relic of the second stage of the attempts to supply the people of Uxbridge with water'. In 1988 the pump was restored and returned to its original location.

There were numerous pubs on the High Street. This one was across the road from the church. The earliest documented evidence of a public house on this site is 1544 but is more likely it dates back even further. It has been known as 'The Axe' presumably at the time of Anne Boleyn's beheading. Then 'The Angel', 'The Jolly Ostler', 'The Hostelry', and then 'The Queens Head' to commemorate Anne Boleyn who is depicted on the pub sign. 

Unusually the pub had its licence taken away in the early 18thh century for around 25 years and disappeared from the records until 1769 when it was part owned by the Rev Thomas Milway and it is possible that it may have been used as a rectory. The fact that there is an underground passage linking the pub to St Margaret's church opposite lends credence to this theory.

The Queens Head has undergone various structural changes having had a stable yard and three separate bars and the pub frontage has had a various number of windows and stable doors to suit its owners over the years. In 1986 it was hit by an arson attack but fortunately there were no serious injuries and it reopened later that year in its present layout.

Also close to the station is The Market House. In 1561, the importance of the market was recognised by the erection of a market house. That one was demolished and this one was built in 1789. It was used as a corn market in the 19th century. It stands on pillars so that market stalls could be put underneath the building.

Throughout the 18th century, the town prospered and became important for its coaching inns. Because of its position on the main road from London to Oxford, by the end of the 18th century up to 40 stage coaches a day passed through the town and would stop here to change horses. During this period there were about 50 inns and ale houses plus four breweries to cater for this passing trade. 

You can still see some of these old coaching houses in the town today with the large entrances big enough for the horse and carriage to enter.

Here is another pub on the High Street. This was another coaching inn built in the 16th/17th century. A 'tun' is a brewery vessel used to mix the grains with water.

Further along the High Street is this Grade II listed timber framed building which also dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It, too, looks like a coaching inn. It is now a Japanese restaurant.

This art deco building used to be a department store selling mainly furniture, Although it originated in 1891, the current building was built in the 1930s. The building has been used as a location for the sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses'. It closed down in 2015 and was bought by property developers. It was made a Grade II listed building in 2008 so the frontage will remain as will any art deco features within the building. 

Another art deco building on the High Street is this former cinema built in 1930. You can still clearly see the name Regal. After closing as a cinema, it became a disco and it is now a nightclub. It was listed as a Grade II building in 1977 after a hard fought campaign by the local community who objected to proposals to demolish the cinema and other buildings to build offices, flats and warehouses.

This large building at the end of the High Street is the Civic Centre. It was designed to contrast with other buildings in the town centre yet blend in with local styles by using traditional red bricks and pitched tiled roofs.

I walked back down the High Street with its numerous shops and a couple of shopping malls.

At the other end of the High Street is the 'Crown and Treaty' pub which dates back to 1576. During the English Civil War, Uxbridge was an important garrison for Parliamentary troops. In 1644 an attempt at a peace treaty was negotiated in Uxbridge and the meeting was held here. 

As I left the High Street I was in for a surprise when I came across the Grand Union Canal. I didn't realise it was so close to the town.

 It became more and more attractive as I left the town. The canal was completed in 1805 and linked London with the Midlands.

At 137 miles the Grand Union Canal is the longest in the UK.

This is the former lock keeper's cottage.

I really loved walking along the tow path. But it was time for me to make my way home.

I really enjoyed Uxbridge as there was so much to see and enjoy.