Southgate tube station

Southgate station stands in the London Borough of Enfield, on the Piccadilly line between Arnos Grove and Oakwood. It opened in 1933 as part of the northern extension of the Piccadilly line. The station was designed by Charles Holden in the Art Deco style, using brick, reinforced concrete and glass. Its circular building has a flat concrete roof supported by a central column inside the ticket hall. A distinctive illuminated feature resembling a Tesla coil tops the structure. The station is one of the best-preserved examples of Holden’s work and is listed at Grade II*. It retains original bronze panelling, column lighting on the escalators and period tiling. The escalators were replaced in the late 1980s with bronze balustrades to match the 1930s design. In 2008 the station won an award for its modernisation while preserving heritage features. Visitors enter through a circular ticket hall with daylight from a horizontal band of windows. Two escalators lead down to platforms in a short tunnel section, unusual for a deep-level station. The platforms are labelled Westbound and Eastbound, though the tunnels run north-east to south-west. Outside, the main building sits on an island between Southgate Circus and Station Parade, with bus stops and shops nearby. The tunnel portals are visible from the northbound platform, a rare sight on the London Underground.