I know I shouldn’t encourage graffiti but, as I walked to the Station from Aldgate, I became intrigued by these carrots. The one in the middle looks really frightened – have one of the two on either side of it eaten his green topping? They certainly have scary teeth …
I think the space they look down on was the original site of Aldgate East tube station before it moved to its current location nestling under the Passmore Edwards Library …
Next door is the Whitechapel Gallery with its pretty Tree of Life frieze by Rachel Whiteread which I wrote about in an earlier blog …
I am visiting the station to see some fascinating tiles that date from the 1930s. You will see from the pictures that most carry the letter ‘S’. This stands for the artist and craftsman Harold Stabler, who was commissioned by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1936 to design 18 ceramic tiles to decorate new and refurbished underground stations. The first of the tiles were installed at Aldgate East when it was rebuilt in 1938 – this one represents the rearing horse from the coat of arms of the county of Kent …
This is a great representation of London Underground’s headquarters at 55 Broadway …
Here is the building itself …
These birds are flying over water, representing the River Thames …
In this representation of the Palace of Westminster, there is a crown, a coronet and a bowler hat representing the Monarch, the Lords and the Commons …
This is from the coat of arms of the County of London …
The winged Griffin was the original symbol of London Transport. I can’t see an ‘S’ so possibly a later reproduction …
St Paul’s Cathedral (I can’t find the ‘S’ on this one either) …
This tile illustrates the coat of arms for the County of Middlesex …
The Crystal Palace …
And here the classic Underground roundel …
There is a more complete selection on the Bethnal Green Underground Station platforms which you can read about here.
Finally, I had to smile sadly when I noticed this optimistic piece of signage when I disembarked the train at Moorgate …
