London Underground Northern line extension to Battersea Power Station

One of several ongoing projects I have in London is to go to the end of every underground line. The London underground is very extensive and has 11 different lines. The underground opened in 1863. Parts of the line are on the surface, but a lot is underground, and the whole system is commonly known as the Tube. Nowadays there is not much new construction.

Monday 20 September 2021 was a special day, as 2 new stations on the new Northern line extension to Battersea opened. These are Nine Elms and the terminus Battersea Power Station. Construction began in 2015, and the extension is the first major expansion of the Underground since the Jubilee Line Extension opened in 1999. 

The gates to Battersea Power Station opened around 5.20 am and the first train to Kennington left soon after. Currently the trains are only running about every 12 minutes out of peak time. I went from Kennington about 10.30, where the new line was signposted -

There were quite a few people waiting for the train. It took us through Nine Elms to Battersea Power Station. Needless to say both stations are big and bright and modern. Most people were taking photos and there were lots of staff and also some media, even though it was already mid morning. 

There are no platform screen doors, unlike at some stations on the new Jubilee Line. I went up to the ticket hall -

and then up the escalator to street level -

The old power station with its iconic 4 chimneys has recently been developed as luxury apartments, having been bought by one of Malaysia's largest companies, Sime Darby. See my blogs on the power station and another blog on the chimneys.

The tube station is located between Battersea Power Station with all the new apartment blocks and the new Covent Garden market. This is the largest wholesale fruit, vegetable, and flower market in the United Kingdom, located in Nine Elms, having relocated from central London.

The route maps on all the trains has been updated to show the new extension -

A leaflet on the new extension

BBC news report on 20 Sept

Marble Arch Mound, London

The Marble Arch Mound received so much bad press and negativity during its construction and after it first opened. By the time I visited in mid September 2021, the problems had been resolved and I was rather impressed.

The Marble Arch Mound was commissioned by Westminster Council as a tourist attraction. It was part of a post-Covid revival plan for the West End. It was meant to give views of the capital’s Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone. The artificial hill cost some £2 million to construct. The framework is covered with grass, shrubs and trees. 

Visitors were charged £4.50 to walk up the mound to the viewing platform. People had booked tickets in advance. But it was a huge flop when it first opened on 26 July, as it was not ready. As a result, it was closed after just one day. People complained that trees blocked the view and the vegetation was dying. It seems the mound had been opened before it was really finished and it was lower than originally planned. There had been a rush to get it open for the summer holidays, but this proved to be a costly mistake. 

After the teething problems were sorted out, it was free entry to go up the mound. People who had paid were given refunds. 

I first saw it 12 July during construction -

 And the completed view, on 18 Sept

Entry is free, you have to go through a security search of bags. A gentle series of stairs lead up to the top, with security officers based in several places. The views from the top -

The grassy area in front of the 3 fountains is sometimes used for sculptures, the most recent being the bronze orphan elephants, before they moved to Spitalfields in 2020.

Looking down the Edgeware Road, this runs straight for almost 10 miles. This end of the road is often known as Little Cairo and Little Beirut due to the number of Arabs in the area. In the centre of the photo is a triangular road island with 3 small oak trees. 

Looking down the start of Oxford Street. 

The start of Park Lane, with Hard Rock on the extreme left, the entrance to Marble Arch underground station, and in the centre background, the London Eye can be seen (to the left of the 2 cranes), as well as The Shard and some buildings in Canary Wharf.

Looking over Hyde Park, with Park Lane. Unfortunately the trees obscure the view of Hyde Park -

The way down from the mound is a series of steps inside, which is quite interesting, as you get to see the scaffolding and construction. The first photo is looking vertically down, and the third photo is looking up and you can see people on the viewing platform -

 

There is an added bonus at the bottom as you go into a "light exhibition". British sculptor, Anthony James, has installed the Lightfield art exhibition which is a series of light sculptures in three rooms within the Mound temporary exhibition space. Anthony James commented: “Lightfield consists of 12 cubes that allude to the mycorrhizal nature of birch tree forests. This is the first time my works have been displayed and viewed in this fully immersive way – installed within an infinity room that transports visitors into another world to create a meditative and limitless narrative.” 

It certainly is an immersive display, there seem to be unending passages within the cubes and shapes. Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice at all as it is hard to get the "3d" effect and you really don't get the feeling of the depth -

Back outside I had a look at some of the vegetation

The 19th century Marble Arch -

The Mound will be open daily until early January 2022 and will remain free of charge.

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Evening Standard 6 Aug "Marble Arch Mound to open as free attraction for August after ‘spectacular flop’"

ITV 2 Aug "Free entry to Marble Arch Mound after 'teething problems' disappoint visitors"

ITV 5 Aug "Why was the £2m Marble Arch Mound such a 'spectacular flop'?"

Time Out 14 Sept "The beloved Marble Arch Mound is doing a light show"

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The mound closed 9 Jan 22022.