Arts and Crafts Tube Stations Arts and Crafts Tube Stations Leslie Green

Green v Holden

nine November, 2012 by Mike Paterson

Do you adopt Leslie Green stations or Charles Holden ones? It's a sort of Beatles or Rolling Stones question. One of our members who is an expert in such matters, takes upwards the word…

A guest post by Gareth Edwards, editor of London Reconnections.

Leslie Green (1875 – 1908) and Charles Holden (1875 – 1960)

Green or Holden? Information technology's a tricky question. It's hard to dispute that in strictly design terms Holden's stations are superior, merely I genuinely believe that Green deserves more praise than Holden for his piece of work, which I know isn't a popular view.

I'one thousand happy to admit that this probably sounds a fleck silly, only I'll endeavor and explain:

Holden'due south work on the Underground is amazing, and it deserves all the credit it gets, but the truth is that Holden had a relatively easy time of information technology.

OF Class Holden's stations are dandy. OF Form they represent an excellent example of the Arts and Crafts movement's principle that real things should be designed well. OF COURSE they did because Holden had the fourth dimension, the luxury and – most chiefly – the senior direction back up from the legendary Frank Pick that allowed him to make them that way. Yep he had plenty of issues, but fundamentally he was gifted a working environment in which he had a pretty easy path to success.

Dark-green, past contrast, had the exact opposite situation. In Charles Tyson Yerkes, the prototype of the American "Railway Robber Baron", Green constitute himself working for a man who wanted high art at low cost, who was pushing stations and lines forward at speeds that gave petty regard to what was really practical from an architect'due south perspective, and who had no problem with sacking anyone who he felt wasn't meeting his needs. People can be sniffy about Dark-green's stations all they desire, but to produce anything close to quality architecture under those circumstances is an incredible attestation to his ability.

Holden produced beautiful stations because of his boss' goals. Dark-green produced beautiful stations DESPITE his boss' goals.

There'south almost something class-based most it I suppose (isn't there always in Britain?). Holden's stations, much as I love them, frequently leave me feeling slightly out of place. Unconsciously, I think Holden and Pick created distinctly "middle-course" stations – even in areas that resoundingly weren't. I don't mean that in a negative mode, just that they experience like stations designed to gently, only politely, teach one to be a amend person, but which gained the luxury to exercise so through a position of privilege of which they're not innately aware.

Green's stations, on the other hand, feel like "working grade" spaces (despite Greenish himself non being so). Stations that await expert almost despite themselves – because the man on the spot doing them had pride in his piece of work and maximized what he had at his disposal. Not perfect, and not to be fussed over, but something a human being could be proud of still.

If I stand up in a Holden station and close my eyes, I hear the sound of architecture lectures, if I do the aforementioned in a Greenish station, I hear the sound of football crowds. Green'southward stations feel similar they worked hard at an inner city comprehensive to become to University, Holden's feel similar their parents could afford extra maths tuition on the side, merely to brand sure.

That's why Holloway Route will always exist my favourite station I doubtable. Holden's stations volition always be more cute, that I know for sure, but somehow Green made his stations only feel similar…

…well, like me.

Holloway Road Station (1906) by Leslie Green. The nearly complete of his surviving stations.

Arnos Grove Station (1932) past Charles Holden, considered by many to be his finest.

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