Croxley

 

This is the 28th station I've visited on the Metropolitan Line. Croxley is on the Watford branch of the line. The station was opened in November 1925 as Croxley Green on the Metropolitan Railway's extension to Watford with lines connecting both Rickmansworth and Moor Park. However, this led to confusion as there was another station called Croxley Green which had been opened in 1912 by the  

London and North Western Railway, so it was renamed Croxley in 1949.

 It has two platforms, one quarter of which is covered by glass roofed canopies. On the open sections of the platforms the original cast iron lamp posts are still in use.

There is a car park and builders yard which is sited on what was a goods yard next to the station. Goods traffic, which was mainly coal, ceased in 1966.

 

I found the Mark Wallinger labyrinth quite easily at this station. This is number 7/270

I needed to exit the station via the ticket office up these stairs. Confusing signs on the stairs. Coming up on the right hand side is an arrow going up and then half way up there is a no entry sign.

This photo was taken from the exit looking back at the ticket barrier. Just to the right of the barriers is a doorway leading to the Ladies toilets. Just before the toilets was a small room which I assume was the ladies' waiting room which had the original fireplace still there. Many stations had a separate waiting room for women.

The building was designed by the Metropolitan Railway architect W C Clark. With its deeply pitched roof and dormer windows, it looks more like a large house than a station.

There were a few shops close to the station and I decided to take advantage of a small cafe that I spotted and went in for some lunch. As this was the second station I had visited today I was ready for a sit down and some sustenance.

'The Kitchen' provided me with a delicious sandwich with prompt and friendly service. So once fortified I set off to see what I could find. 

Close to the cafe was a pathway leading down to the Grand Union Canal. The canal is the longest in the UK at 137 miles with 158 locks. The Grand Union Canal links London to Birmingham.

I walked to the left first of all, admiring some of the narrow boats  moored alongside the tow path. On the other side of the canal there was what looked like a new housing estate.

An inquisitive family of swans came over to see if I had any food for them.  

I followed the canal for a little way and then turned and walked in the other direction.

This took me to one of the many locks on the canal. The lock is still in use but did look as though it needed a bit of care and attention.

It was so pleasant walking by the canal that I walked much further than I intended.

On the other side of the tow path was woodland.  A hammock had been  tied between two conveniently placed trees.

I came to yet another lock. This time it was in action as a long passenger boat was going through. I would have liked to have gone for a trip down the canal and I made a note of the boat company. Maybe when I visit another station it might be possible to tie it in with a boat trip. 

The picturesque lock keeper's cottage.

A useful sign on the tow path pointed out a footpath that I could take to get back to the station.

There were numerous butterflies close to the path. This is a red admiral.

It was quite rural in parts. Not all the land had been swallowed up by housing developments.

The North curve

I have to thank Geoff Marshall, a popular youtuber who has visited every railway station in the country, for this information. I spotted the railway lines curving round but didn't know where they would be going. Marshall's publication of these two maps was very helpful in explaining the curve.

According to Geoff this section of the Metropolitan Line is used only a couple of times a day in the early morning to take passengers directly from Rickmansworth to Watford without having to go to Moor Park to change trains.

The path took me around the edge of Croxley Hall woods, an ancient woodland. Ancient in this case means they must have been here for at least 400 years.

The path led me to Croxley Green where All Saints' Church is one of the main features. The church was built in 1872 to accommodate the increase in the population. The industrial revolution brought an increase of jobs to the area when Dickenson extended his paper mill business. The Grand Union Canal meant it was easier to transport goods to and from London. New housing was needed to accommodate the workers. 

In November 1919, the villagers raised money to purchase an oak tree and it was planted on the Green. Granite blocks from Dickinson's Mill were placed in front of the tree and engraved with the names of those who died in the First World War. Railings were put up around the war memorial to protect it from animals grazing on The Green.  Names of those villagers who died in the Second World War and the Korean War have also been added. More than 400 Croxley men served in the First World War and at least 100 were killed.

Also on The Green is this delightful looking  pub and being a sunny day it is the perfect weather for sitting outside and enjoying a drink. On the news this morning there were reports of the sweltering temperatures of 40+C in parts of Europe whilst here it is a very pleasant 22/23 deg C.

In a tradition that dates back to 1897 trees are planted to commemorate important Royal events. The first was an oak tree planted to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Following this thirteen trees have been planted. The most recent being a new oak to mark the coronation of King Charles III. I believe this one in the photo was planted in 1935 to mark the silver jubilee of George V

The signposts in this area are excellent as I didn't have a map of the area. It clearly showed which road I needed to take back to the Underground station.

I walked down New Road passed a number of 19th C cottages.

  

In 1868 this small methodist church was built following the increase in the number of worshippers and the limited space in the private house in this road where the services were originally held.

Not often you see a yellow car like this parked on the road. It attracted a lot of attention.

It had been a long day as I had visited two stations which couldn't have been more different. The exclusive housing development that was Moor Park  and the much more interesting Croxley with its beautiful Grand Union Canal and The Green. I wonder what I will find on my next visit to an Underground station.

Moor Park

This is the 27th station I have visited on the Metropolitan Line. The last couple of stations didn't inspire or surprise me in any way. They were just very pleasant suburban areas. I am determined not to leave out any stations so it was not with any great enthusiasm that I set out today to visit Moor Park. I had never heard of this station before today so assumed it would be similar to previous stations.
 

 The station has been open since 1910, originally as Sandy Lodge, changing to Moor Park and Sandy Lodge in 1923 and then to its current name in 1950. It was completely rebuilt in 1961, increasing the number of platforms to four. Two for the northbound trains(one for slow/semi-fast and one for fast services) and two for southbound trains into London British Rail and Network SouthEast trains stopped calling at Moor Park from 1993.

I looked everywhere for the Mark Wallinger labyrinth print and there was no one to ask, so I think I might have to return on a weekday to solve that mystery.

Another poster celebrating 100 years of the Underground Roundel.

The map outside the station gave me a good idea of the area. The station was surrounded by three golf courses.

In fact the station building is also a pedestrian subway to the Sandy Lodge Golf club. Moor Park is just outside the Greater London area and is in Hertfordshire. It was previously on the Great Central Rail which meant that passengers could travel much further field. You can see from the photo that the station is surrounded by woodland.

There was a small wooded roundabout in front of the station which led  me round to a row of shops. 

Not the usual selection of shops but more businesses. There was an accountant, dentist. estate office, Haute Couture (appointment only), Post Office, butcher and two restaurants ( neither open at lunchtime). No sign of any hairdressers, nail bars or cafes here.

Outside one of the shops was a defibrillator. These are popping up in lots of public places now.

I walked down a couple of roads which were lined with huge trees, massive detached houses with large gardens. There were very few pavements just grass verges. Before I wandered round aimlessly for a couple of hours I thought it wise to ask someone if they could point me in the direction of anywhere of interest. I finally found one gentleman who was out for his daily (fast) walk which I interrupted. Of course, I had to explain my reason for wandering around this exclusive area with its security guards and no cars allowed to park on the road. He lived on the estate and confirmed that other than the houses and golf courses there was nothing else nearby. The next town is not that far away but I still found it odd that this was neither a large village nor small town but a very exclusive private residential area.

The gentleman took me round a few roads to see some of the houses. 

The name Moor Park comes from the Moor Park Mansion, a Grade 1 listed Palladian building set within over 300 acres of landscaped parkland. Originally built in the late 17th century for the 3rd Earl of Bedford. Moor Park was opened as a golf club in 1923. The Rickmansworth Urban District Council purchased the Mansion and surrounding acres of land in 1937 to stop any further development which was then leased to the golf club. In 1994 the golf club purchased the freehold and the Moor Park heritage Foundation was established. The gentleman I met showed me where the golf course was and I decided to take a look. I walked along the drive leading to the clubhouse but after reading two signs telling me specifically that walkers and cyclists were not allowed. I decided to turn back and go to the next station on the line.

I felt this was a very strange visit. It was very different from any other station I've been to with its lack of schools, churches and cafes. I felt uneasy knowing that security cameras and guards were probably following my every move.