Did you know each London Tube station has a unique design? Many have patterns worked into the tiles that reference the name of the area, or a local legend. So Regent’s Park station is all about the greenery, Oxford Circus features a maze, and Baker St station has Sherlock Holmes silhouetted in the tiles:
Baker St. Tube Station #Sherlock #London #Travel #Photography IG»https://t.co/4nknZ92fV5 pic.twitter.com/reY2YT6MQI
— Andrés Espiñeira (@espineira) April 3, 2017
Brixton Station, however, in South London, really puts you wrong. Based on this design you’d think the name had something to do with ‘town of bricks’ – or even ‘tonne of bricks’ – yet in reality the name is far more interesting and ancient.
Who knows which London Tube station these geometric tiles belong to? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cp8SrLur8z
— Visit London (@visitlondon) May 16, 2017
Modern Brixton has strong associations with David Bowie, who was born there…
Please RT if you like!! #architecture #design #architects #interiordesign Campaign to fund David Bowie… https://t.co/s511UcBllm
— The Architects dream (@TArchitectdream) August 30, 2017
…with Mohommed Ali, whose visit in 1974 drew such huge crowds of adoring fans that the place came to a standstill…
ICYMI – “Ali brought Brixton to a standstill in 1974” https://t.co/iOXIvthICp pic.twitter.com/hEaxj6VGJc
— BlockWorkOutFDN (@BlockWorkOutFDN) June 6, 2016
…And even Vincent Van Gogh gets a look in (he lived in Brixton as a young man)…
Van Gogh lived at 87 Hackford Rd Brixton for 2 yrs – here’s his 1874 sketch of it & how it looks now, w/ blue plaque pic.twitter.com/xolxPI2rEq
— Jnl. Art in Society (@artinsociety) November 9, 2016
But in ancient times Brixton was all about one guy: The Saxon lord Brixi. He’s believed to have erected a standing stone that marked a gathering place where his clan chieftains would meet – think of Ned Stark summoning his bannermen and you’ll not be far off. So anyway, Brixi’s Stone became ‘Brixistane’, which became Brixton, and the place where the great stone stood is now known as – you guessed it – Brixton Hill.
So there you have it. Full marks to Transport for London’s pun-inspired tiles though.
