Tube Spotting Dan: 17/270

Sudbury Town from the westbound
platform,
3rd June 2017

Sudbury Town is, in many respects, like no other London Underground station. Located on the branch of the Piccadilly line between Acton Town and Uxbridge, Sudbury Town is a station favoured by many. There are five London Underground stations to end in the word 'Town', and with 2 million users in 2016, Sudbury Town is the least used out of them all. The other four stations are Camden Town (22.88 million users in 2016), Canning Town (11.91 million users in 2016), Kentish Town (8.36 million users in 2016) and Acton Town (6.27 million users in 2016).

The station opened on 28 June 1903 when the Metropolitan District Railway extended from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey to South Harrow. The extension from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey to South Harrow, and the pre existing track from Acton Town to Park Royal & Twyford Abbey, was the first section of the London Underground surface lines to be electrified. Park Royal & Twyford Abbey closed in 1931 when the station was replaced by Park Royal, as we know it today.

Exterior of Sudbury Town station,
3rd June 2017

Charles Holden's influences are seen again

The original station building was replaced in the 1930s and was designed by Charles Holden. I have previously noted Holden's influences over the entire London Underground network, where he designed 47 stations. The Piccadilly line is where Holden is most renowned, and Sudbury Town's dominating building is one of his classics, a long with, in my opinion, Gants Hill.

Waiting room at Sudbury
Town,
3rd June 2017

Whilst Sudbury Town is one of the most popular stations on the network, the fact you have to exit the station to switch between the two platforms is why this station does not feature in my top 10. However, Sudbury Town is filled with some amazing original features, including an old ticket booth that is no longer in operation, and a large waiting room. But perhaps the most exciting feature of Sudbury Town is the fact it is the only station on the London Underground to feature a barometer, which is affixed to the wall in the ticket hall.

The unique font at Sudbury
Town,
3rd June 2017

I started this article by saying Sudbury Town is like no other station, and there is more than the barometer. The roundels on the platform all use a Johnston Delf Smith font, which is wedge-serief version of the classic Johnston font used elsewhere. This means that the roundels at Sudbury Town look different to any other on the network. The section of the Piccadilly line heading north from Acton Town is full of little gems, and Sudbury Town is perhaps the cherry on top if you are a fan of stations adopting a 20th Century design. If you are a big fan of the London Underground, Sudbury Town should be at the top of your bucket lists of stations to visit.

You need to bump up Sudbury Town to the top of your list. It is a wonderful station to explore, with lots of features to look out for.

More photos