Dickinson College Humanities Program in Norwich

Liverpool Street Station

August 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment

To get to Liverpool Street Station we took the Tube Circle Line from Euston Square Station directly to Liverpool Street Station. We arrived there about nineteen minutes after departure. We walked north from the Arran House Hotel on Gower to the end of the street where the Euston Square Tube Station was located. We briefly confronted some difficulties with figuring out how to use the Oyster Card, but quickly learned how to properly swipe the card. We found the Euston Square Tube station to be quite pleasant as classical music echoed off cement walls, and most other riders were quite reserved. The Liverpool Street Station, we learned, was named after the street upon which it lies, which in turn is named after the former British Prime Minister Lord Liverpool.

At Liverpool St. station, we surfaced to a very busy market full of food, clothing, and other types of stores within a beautifully designed old railway station. The architectural design of the station featured intricate steel beams supporting a glass, vaulted ceiling. The people within the station were a mix of those formally dressed in suits and dresses and those in more casual attire. People were either moving in a quite hurried manner or were impatiently waiting, giving off a vibe of stress. Outside, the station was surrounded by new and incredibly tall financial buildings, many of which were still under construction. However located nearby were also many stores, restaurants, pubs, and residencies subscribing to various architectural styles, though most were outdated. We suspect many people would travel to this area for the shopping, restaurants, and blossoming financial sector for their work, reflected in the diversity of garb. This station is located within the realm of the City of London. It serves as a important link to various other parts of England.

The monument located outside the Liverpool Street Station is a memorial to Jewish children escaping Nazi genocide via trains coming into London through this very station, once named the Great Eastern Railway. In 1938 and 1939 over 10,000 Jewish children escaped Nazi persecution with the help of English citizens. We also found a plaque located nearby dedicating the entire Hope Square to these children.

To return to the Arran House Hotel, we chose a different route on the Tube. We took the Central Line from Liverpool Street Station to Tottenham Court Road. We then took the Northern Line north to Warren Street Station. Upon exiting the Tube station, we then walked down Gower Street to the hotel.

Tags: 2010 ChristopherB · 2010 Mary

Rachel and Ben Go To Barbican

August 26th, 2010 · 3 Comments

Upon departure from our safe haven at the Arran House, we attempted to navigate the streets of London to no avail. While aimlessly wandering, we stumbled upon such landmarks as the British Museum and the University of London, essentially touring the greater London area for a thorough hour. After questioning a few pedestrians and going in the wrong direction on more than one occasion, eventually we made it to the Euston Square Tube Station. We boarded the train and set out for the Barbican stop located on the Metropolitan Line.

The name Barbican was chosen for the train station in 1968 as an alternative to the former name of “Aldersgate”, renamed for the famous Barbican Centre, the largest performing arts centre in all of Europe.

The general feeling of the Barbican area of London was a sophisticated, high class, multi faceted slice of society in which the arts and business thrive. We visited the Barbican Centre, a beautiful achievement in the arts (among them, surrealistic modern art, dance, music, and theater). We briefly viewed an exhibit that was on display courtesy of John Bock. In the back of the Centre was a great fountain display accompanied by hipsters and coffee shop-goers lined with elegant churchlike buildings from the days of old. When we made our way further towards the Business and Commercial area of Barbican, we found many towering, glass company buildings. Even further down the road we encountered many shops before we embarked on the journey home via the Tube.

On the way back we enjoyed a scrumptious local Italian-ish dinner at a restaurant near the Euston train station. After the meal, we hopped back on the train and took the Northern Line of the Tube from the Euston station to the Goodge St. station, and returned safely home to the Arran House (in the pouring rain).

Tags: 2010 Benjamin · 2010 Rachel