Pause, stop and dawdle on the Finchley Road...

The Finchley Road is much maligned and massively under-estimated.

Hidden away are gems and insights into the Eyre Estate (more to follow), the development of metro-land and the growth of traffic in a way that is captured in few other places. Now of course it's role as a main arterary road in and out of London and leading down to Swiss Cottage it has what i think is a strong sense of speed and movement about it...

The effect now is slightly odd and I would suggest it is under-appreciated.

So this is just one little building, tucked away with stunning marbled stucco's.

It's Canfield House and is, I think, the main stay of the old station buildings. I've tried a bit of digging on the origin of the name Canfield and not got hugely far- interestingly as we are not too far from Acol Road (a school of bridge) - Canfield is a card game but there appears to be no connection.

But for simple tastes such as myself the cherubs and the satyrs and the nature of the almost french style is realy nice. It's too easy when rushing out of the station, or dashing into Waitrose or up to the O2 Centre to miss it - pause, have a dawdle and look up - it's well worth it and as I say, slightly unlikely.

My instinct is it date to the 1930's and is a high quality frontage to what might actually be quite a cheap set piece brick construction and this is actually a faccia. Anyone out there know more?

Any letters for the railway staff?

I've passed this virtually every day but it was taken me a little while to do so with the camera...

It's the on-station post-box - now sealed up - for staff letters!

Yep, that's right - on West Hampstead (jubilee line) station platform there is a room currently used as the waiting room (pic left below) and in the wall is a brass letter box - nice patination! - for STAFF LETTERS.

I noticed another since which if I recall correctly was on either Finchley Road or Kilburn platforms too.

It just struck me as quite quaint really - I guess it dates from the 30's (possibly 50's) but also might post to a level of knowledge and contact between travellers and staff that we would dream of now...

Supermarkets went through a phase of notice boards saying who was who and for a time it looked like public transport might follow suit. But that fad has now passed and it's hard enough to get the name of the station manager these days - but they will prosecute if you assault them...


Perhaps this little sealed letter box points to a happier age and interaction from which TfL could take a pointer or two?