At the bottom of the Piccadilly Line escalators at Holborn, you turn
right to reach the platforms. As you enter the tunnel at the bottom of
the escalator, there is a large, heavy-looking, apparently steel door
set into the wall on the left-hand side of the foot tunnel.

Other than having been painted open, it looks like it is in working
order (it even has a small handle).

What was the purpose of this door, and is it still available for that
use today?

What was the purpose of this door, and is it still available for that
use today?

It leads to the Aldwych Platforms. They used to be just normal underground
shutter doors.
--
To reply direct, remove NOSPAM and replace with railwaysonline
For Train Information, The Latest News & Best photos around check out the
Award Winning Railways Online at http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk

(Matt Ashby) wrote in message . com...
At the bottom of the Piccadilly Line escalators at Holborn, you turn
right to reach the platforms. As you enter the tunnel at the bottom of
the escalator, there is a large, heavy-looking, apparently steel door
set into the wall on the left-hand side of the foot tunnel.

Other than having been painted open, it looks like it is in working
order (it even has a small handle).

What was the purpose of this door, and is it still available for that
use today?

Flood-door dating from WW2. These were fitted at various stations
where a bomb breaching adjacent water mains might endager the running
tunnels, or where one line flooded due to a bomb breaching a tunnel
under the Thames could flood into another line. These are still
visible at a lot of stations, such as at the foot of both escalators
linking the Northern Line with the National Rail (formerly Northern
City Line) platforms at Moorgate. They could also be seen in the
end-of-platform tunnels between the Piccadilly and Northern Lines at
Leicester Square, but they were faced and tiled over during
refurbishment work late last year, although the it's still fairly
obvious where they are. If you look at the northern ends of both
Northern & both Bakerloo platforms tunnels at Waterloo, you can also
see the remains of the track-side flood-doors that would have been
closed had any of the under-Thames tunnels been breached.

It's important to appreciate that these were not, "blast-doors," as
they are sometimes erroneously called. A case in point is what
happened when Bank station took a direct hit in January 1941. The
initial Civil Defence report noted:

"At the foot of the escalator to the Central London railway there are
two steel doors for the prevention of floods giving access to each
side of the tube platforms. These doors were open and the main
casualties were those sheltering at the foot of the escalator, who
were blown through the doors against the wall of the tube opposite.
Had these doors been shut, the technical officer of the Transport
Board advises that the blast might have blown in the sides of the tube
tunnels."

I've been doing a lot of new research lately for my site on the
Underground during WW2, and an update should be online soon. The
existing page is at:

http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/...ra/lu/tuaw.htm

"Robin Mayes" wrote in message .. .
"Nick Cooper 625" wrote in message
om...

"At the foot of the escalator to the Central London railway there are
two steel doors for the prevention of floods giving access to each
side of the tube platforms. These doors were open and the main
casualties were those sheltering at the foot of the escalator, who
were blown through the doors against the wall of the tube opposite.
Had these doors been shut, the technical officer of the Transport
Board advises that the blast might have blown in the sides of the tube
tunnels."

The bomb in question smashed through the road at Bank junction and bounced
from the ticket hall down the escalators. Several city workers have tried to
simulate the latter part of the bomb's path, usually on a Friday night.

And creating far more damage, no doubt.

Jokes aside, the bomb actually exploded in the escalator machine room
and the blast went down the escalators, as well as upwards, removing
most of the road junction about the ticket hall. Something similar
happened at Trafalgar Square.

In message , Nick
Cooper 625 writes

Flood-door dating from WW2. These were fitted at various stations
where a bomb breaching adjacent water mains might endager the running
tunnels, or where one line flooded due to a bomb breaching a tunnel
under the Thames could flood into another line. These are still
visible at a lot of stations, such as at the foot of both escalators
linking the Northern Line with the National Rail (formerly Northern
City Line) platforms at Moorgate. They could also be seen in the
end-of-platform tunnels between the Piccadilly and Northern Lines at
Leicester Square, but they were faced and tiled over during
refurbishment work late last year, although the it's still fairly
obvious where they are. If you look at the northern ends of both
Northern & both Bakerloo platforms tunnels at Waterloo, you can also
see the remains of the track-side flood-doors that would have been
closed had any of the under-Thames tunnels been breached.

At Bethnal Green too; I've taken pictures of the winding mechanism.
--
Kat Me, Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

Kat wrote in message ...
In message , Nick
Cooper 625 writes

Flood-door dating from WW2. These were fitted at various stations
where a bomb breaching adjacent water mains might endager the running
tunnels, or where one line flooded due to a bomb breaching a tunnel
under the Thames could flood into another line. These are still
visible at a lot of stations, such as at the foot of both escalators
linking the Northern Line with the National Rail (formerly Northern
City Line) platforms at Moorgate. They could also be seen in the
end-of-platform tunnels between the Piccadilly and Northern Lines at
Leicester Square, but they were faced and tiled over during
refurbishment work late last year, although the it's still fairly
obvious where they are. If you look at the northern ends of both
Northern & both Bakerloo platforms tunnels at Waterloo, you can also
see the remains of the track-side flood-doors that would have been
closed had any of the under-Thames tunnels been breached.

At Bethnal Green too;

Everytime I got through any particular station and spot them, I mean
to include the detail in the web-page, but I usually promptly forget
afterwards, because methodically noting facts doesn't multi-task wekk
with "Commute Mode"!

I've taken pictures of the winding mechanism.

Are they on line anywhere, or if not, I know a very good web-site that
might be able to use them... insert fluttering eyelashes emoticon
that probably doesn't even exist

I'm currently wading through the wartime daily bombing reports for
"key points," sifting out all the LU-related railway incidents, which
is producing a mass of data not previously widely known, such as hits
and unexploded bombs at various depots. Also almost finished
identifying by name the vast majority of the wartime fatalities on LU
property, including - on an even more melancholic note - a certain
amount of myth-shattering r.e. Bounds Green.

Nick Cooper 625 wrote:

I'm currently wading through the wartime daily bombing reports for
"key points,"

Where are these available? Are they online?

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

"Richard J." wrote in message ...
Nick Cooper 625 wrote:

I'm currently wading through the wartime daily bombing reports for
"key points,"

Where are these available? Are they online?

No, they're at the National Archives in 43 volumes of good old fashioned paper.

In message , Nick
Cooper 625 writes
Kat wrote in message
...
[...]
At Bethnal Green too;

Everytime I got through any particular station and spot them, I mean
to include the detail in the web-page, but I usually promptly forget
afterwards, because methodically noting facts doesn't multi-task wekk
with "Commute Mode"!

I've taken pictures of the winding mechanism.

Are they on line anywhere, or if not, I know a very good web-site that
might be able to use them...

You're welcome to them.
I was hoping to get down there today and get some better ones but the
best laid plans etc.

I'm currently wading through the wartime daily bombing reports for
"key points," sifting out all the LU-related railway incidents, which
is producing a mass of data not previously widely known, such as hits
and unexploded bombs at various depots. Also almost finished
identifying by name the vast majority of the wartime fatalities on LU
property, including - on an even more melancholic note - a certain
amount of myth-shattering r.e. Bounds Green.

Have you heard/read anything about WW2 bomb damage at Mile End?
It was recently mentioned to me by someone who thought there was a link
on the BTP website but I can't find anything.
--
Kat Me, Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

Kat wrote:

Have you heard/read anything about WW2 bomb damage at Mile End?
It was recently mentioned to me by someone who thought there was a
link on the BTP website but I can't find anything.

Go to
http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20S...20-%201949.htm

and look at 24 September 1940: "During a night of heavy enemy bombing, Mile
End Underground Station receives a direct hit." No link to any more
details though.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)