This is the 2nd station I visited today. As I am so far away from home I decided to try and fit two stations into the day.
Edgware is a much bigger town than Burnt Oak so I was hoping to see many more places of interest. But unfortunately that was not the case. This is very much a suburban area with the usual shops, churches, schools and housing.
The station opened in 1924, marking the completion of the tube extension from Golders Green. The line was called the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway which later became the Northern Line. The opening of the stations on this branch line spurred a surburban expansion as the improved transport links allowed people to work in London but live much further out. The arrival of the tube to Edgware increased the population by 350% over the next 10 years.
The station was designed by Stanley Heaps and it is similar in design to the previous stations. The station is in the middle of shops with a spacious ticket hall and wooden doors.
It was a long High Street and I was surprised to see that all the major banks are represented which is unusual as many people do internet banking and the banks don't have that many physical buildings these days.
I walked the length of the High Street looking for a cafe where I could sit down with a sandwich and cup of tea. There were lots of different restaurants Japanese, Afghan, Indian and so on but not what I was looking for. I was put off the cafes by the number of men sitting outside drinking small cups of coffee and smoking. Finally I spotted one called Jenny's Cafe. Nothing fancy but I was able to get a cup.of tea and sandwich.
This is the Broadway centre sited on the old National Rail station.
It was light and airy inside with the usual aaray of shops that you find everywhere. Edgware is in the London Borough of Barnet and is the 2nd largest London borough by population. There are over 90 different languages spoken in the Borough and walking along the High Street I was aware of the mix of cultures and languages.
This newish looking building is the library. I was hoping to find some local information about places of interest but I couldn't enter without tapping in a Borough of Barnet library card. Obviously as I don't live in this area I don't have a local library card. I suppose there must have been a button to press to speak to someone but by now I couldn't be bothered.
The stream is a tributary of the Silk stream I photographed at the previous station which eventually finds its way out to the River Thames. I left the High Street and walked around but it was just streets full of housing. I couldn't find anything Iwanted to photograph. I feel I must have missed something here but I had seen enough for one day and decided to go home
I walked back to the tube via the large bus station.
It was light and airy inside with the usual aaray of shops that you find everywhere. Edgware is in the London Borough of Barnet and is the 2nd largest London borough by population. There are over 90 different languages spoken in the Borough and walking along the High Street I was aware of the mix of cultures and languages.
I sense this was something of a disappointment to you. It is surely unusual these days to find so many banks represented.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely unusual to find so many banks in one place. One of our local shopping areas has just set up a banking hub where a different bank will operate there each day. A shame that it wasn't an interesting stop for you but at least with combining it with another station hopefully you didn't feel it was a totally wasted trip.
ReplyDeleteYes, a stop can be a bit disappointing, but it is still necessary to visit in order to complete the series, and I am very grateful for this. It remains a lot of work.
ReplyDeletegosh it's not hard finding a cafe in the small town where I live, we have so many of them.
ReplyDeleteLots of money in that area, hence the many banks and fancy restaurants. The library hidden behind an entrance card is worrying. Soon such cards will be required in all shops, stations, public places. Glad you found one café, but it is a rather boring end of the line, wealthy but boring.
ReplyDeleteI know others have also commented but it is very rare/unusual these days to find so many banks represented.
ReplyDeletePleased you eventually found a cafe.
Wishing you happy March days.
All the best Jan
Too bad the no smoking restrictions don't apply to outside seating. I can't stand the smell of cigarettes, never could.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the Library isn't more welcoming! What if a new resident wanted to get a card? It's kind of fun reading about how looking for a decent place to have lunch can turn into an adventure of sorts! (though when I'm hungry and that happens to me, it's hard to look on it as fun!) I love your picture of the trains lined up in the 'tunnel -- makes me wish I could hop on one -- that WAS an adventure for us.
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