| Summary : London Underground station, the southern terminus of the Northern Line. Work on a five-mile tube extension from Clapham Common to Morden began on 31st December 1923 with the extension opening on 13th September 1926. With this project Charles Holden, commissioned by Frank Pick, had his first opportunity to design wholly new Underground buildings. The terminus of Morden station was constructed from Portland stone with a single plain flat elevation which was permitted because of the absence on any side roads. To either side of the double-height ticket hall were single storey wings containing shops. Although the need for an upper storey or mezzanine had been dispensed with after the adoption of the escalator, with its equipment below ground, Holden used a two storey frontage - with an upper floor of greater height - to incorporate the clerestory window, thus lighting the entrance vestibule by day and advertising the station at night, when the interior lighting would shine out through the large stained glass 'UndergrounD' motif. The motif also served to unite the vertical and horizontal elements of the facade. The three windows were separated by stone pillars with spherical capitals - three dimensional representations of the Underground motif - of little structural purpose, but serving as distinctive finials to the rectangular uprights. Above the windows a blue enamel fascia displayed the station name, and this blue band was repeated in the entrance canopy. 'UndergrounD' signs on 'Venetian' masts were placed on the sides of the building to increase visibility from a distance. A moulded lintel was placed over the entrance. In the 1960s London Transport sought to make the most of their land assets by releasing the space over stations for building. As a result of this an office block was added over the station. |