In Praise of Cally Rd Tube
Posted on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 in: London
So, there’s not much to recommend Caledonian Rd underground station. It sits just north of half-way up the Cally Rd, more Holloway than it is Islington, opposite an uninteresting block of flats and a recycling/rubbish dump. The nearest attraction of any real note is the Tennis Centre, and even that isn’t renowned for its bringing in of the punters.
But! I love the Cally Rd tube station, for a number of reasons:
1. The continual playing of classical music. (I’m told that this is only ever really played at stations where it’s considered dangers of violence are high, in the theory that it’s hard to swagger tough when listening to Mozart.)
2. The fact that, for whatever technical blip as yet unknown, there is a tendency of Piccadilly Line trains pulling into the station to announce their arrivals on the little orange LED panels inside the carriages like so:
The Next Station Is!!
Caledonian Road!
Which if nothing else, adds a certain zinginess to the event.
3. The announcements at the station itself. At every London underground station there is a continual display of when the next train is coming, at the bottom of which roll little announcements of the kind like There are delays on the Northern Line. Please seek alternative routes.
However, at Cally Rd, someone has taken control of the system and now the messages read…
If you find an unattended bag, please report to the nearest member of staff. Ta.
Amazing the difference a ‘Ta’ can make to proceedings.
4. Art. I mean, you may not call it art… but on the other hand, have you ever, in your life ever, seen a service update board that looks anything like this…
5 Comments so far - click here to join in
Nice, although I’m amazed that Underground paper-pushers haven’t jumped hard on such a blatant display of individuality and chirpyness; I mean, whatever next? Staff might start to call travellers ‘customers’, and call them ‘Sir’, and ‘Madam’, and actually help people, and that would never do!
Sorry, my cynicism knows no bounds sometimes, but I do like the message on the travel board, that’s a lovely touch.
JessJune 1, 2010
Aw. I’m suddenly rather fond of this Tube station I’ve never been in. “Hello, my lovelies!”
EilonwyJune 1, 2010
Oh man, I wish I’d known about this station before I had to leave London. I’d have visited it solely on the merits of this most, regardless of whatever’s nearby.
I think you’re right about the classical music/violence risk theory. They also do it on the top level of Hammersmith bus station – unless it’s just to give teenagers something improving to listen to while they queue up at the knife arches…
Arnold AkienJune 1, 2010
Oh, Come ON Folks! You Must have heard of ” The Mozart Effect ” ? !! …
“The Mozart effect can refer to:
A set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart’s music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as “spatial-temporal reasoning;”[1]
Popularized versions of the theory, which suggest that “listening to Mozart makes you smarter”, or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development;
A US trademark for a set of commercial recordings and related materials, which are claimed to harness the effect for a variety of purposes. The trademark owner, Don Campbell, Inc.,[2] claims benefits far beyond improving spatio-temporal reasoning or raising intelligence, defining the mark as “an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well-being.” ”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_effect
The EFFECT is so well known that one of the builders who was participating in the Extension of my house a couple of years ago listened to the Music that I had playing on my portable sound system at lunch-break and Declared in mixed DELIGHT and Wonder … ‘ You’re Self Medicating with Mozart aren’t you? ‘
He was Right of course. I’ve suffered from clinical depression and the Effect does Help and does have a tranquilizing effect in times of stress … it has been suggested that Mozart himself was suffering from a Psychiatric disorder .. possibly aspergers syndrome …
June 1, 2010