| Summary : Cockfosters became the ultimate northern terminus of the Piccadilly line when the final extension was opened on 31st July 1933 under the auspices of the newly-created London Passenger Transport Board. This part of north Middlesex was still rural until after the railway arrived and Cockfosters little more than an hamlet. The majority of Charles Holden's station is situated in a shallow cutting at an angle to the main road. At street level a low building of multi-coloured facing bricks forms a waiting shelter and entrance with double stairways down to the sub-surface concourse. Beneath the canopy a light box displayed the station name in white letters on a grey background. The alignment of road and rail approaches was developed to produce a ticket hall concourse of pentagonal plan. Reinforced concrete was used for the entire concourse and trainshed. Siting of the station in a partial cutting required that most daylight enter the building from above, and so the roof was built in two levels with an arrangement of inclined clerestory windows running its full 230ft length and terminating in an apex above the concourse. Concourse, subway and trainshed were decorated in yellow, grey, dark green and black against the natural colour of the concrete and plaster. All facilities were grouped around the concourse, including offices for the station master and carriage examiner, a first aid room, a tobacconist and a newsagent. |