Southwark tube station
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Southwark tube station is a London Underground station on the corner of Blackfriars Road and The Cut in the London Borough of Southwark. It is on the Jubilee Line, between Waterloo and London Bridge. It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and was opened on 24 September 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension. The station has a direct connection with the mainline at Waterloo East. Confusingly, the station is some way to the west of historic Southwark, which is served by Borough tube station.
Southwark station was designed by Richard MacCormac of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard. Unlike some of the other stations on the JLE, there was not enough room on the site for grand architectural statements. The entrance building is only of modest low-rise proportions, with the intention being to use the space above it for a future commercial development (not yet constructed).
In addition, the station had to be built under and around the Victorian railway viaduct carrying trains from Waterloo East and Charing Cross railway station across the river. This presented significant technical and architectural difficulties, necessitating the construction of two concourses at different levels.
The first, or intermediate, concourse is the centrepiece of the station. It comprises a space 16 metres (52 feet) high with a glass roof that allows daylight to enter deep into the station. It is faced with a spectacular glass wall, 40 metres (131 feet) long, consisting of 660 specially cut pieces of blue glass, which was designed by the artist Alexander Beleschenko. The wall has since become one of the extension's most celebrated architectural features, winning critical approval and a number of awards.
From this concourse, tube-like escalator shafts lead down to the platform-level concourse. This is a simple tunnel on two levels, with an illuminated glass and steel "beacon" at each end. It is faced with stainless steel panels, deliberately left unpolished.
According to the station's architect Richard MacCormac, the design of this and the lower level concourse were inspired by the designs of the 19th century Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
Nearby sights
- Globe Theatre
- New Vic Theatre
- Old Vic Theatre
- Tate Modern