The Manchester Guardian was considered to be more of a national paper than a local one, it eventually dropped "Manchester" from its name and became "The Guardian" (or "The Grauniad" in some circles)
My Editor was always ticking me off for the gallons of Tippex I got through when typing up a story. Just as well he and the Linotype operators didn't have to read the almost unreadable carbon copies. Any typos did not come from me, grammatical errors maybe.
Though whatever caused the gremlins that acquired it that name has been fixed long ago,I'm glad it's not just me who still calls it the Grauniad sometimes.
@@rjjcms1 I think it was a Private Eye nickname that derived from its notoriety for misprints and missing sections from before they switched to computerised publishing. (News of the Screws was another name that originated at Private Eye.)
@@johnm2012 Nope. Any word ending in 's' has the apostrophe after. Should it be: "the princess's cloak"? Perhaps "Croesus's gold"? Unfortunately, in a world that gives us "Advanced Warning" of roadworks written on a road sign rather than by holographic projection, we cannot rely on our public officials in these matters.
I worked for LT at 55 Broadway for a few years in the 1990s and loved that building. The LT corporate typeface, New Johnston, was designed by Edward Johnston who taught Eric Gill stonemasonry at evening classes. Sadly we moved round the corner to Windsor House, just another soulless office block in Victoria Street, and things were never quite the same.
I have come to the conclusion that each Underground station isn't a train station anymore, but a museum of all the versions of the station which have existed before.
@@kaitlyn__L Ahh, Getting it confused with St George's Hospital at Hyde Park Corner - though central london does not a hospital when chelsea hospital is just down the road
Always liked 55 Broadway, but it was easy to get lost inside! All the time it remained as offices it retained some lovely features inside, including the service interval indicators in the lobby (to give the directors a picture of how each line was running)
I used to love the service level indicators (is that their proper name? I just used to call them train counters). They were a good way to pass the time when waiting on friends to turn up.
When I started work in 1971, I worked at 28 Broadway (now a hotel) which was, and is, directly opposite 55 - I was never offended by the statues - they certainly did not give me the willies
Lovely building to work in, but a pain to install computer cabling. And don't get me started on connecting it to the TfL building in Victoria Street! Kept me busy though.
My dad, my son & I were given a tour of 55 Broadway as part of Open London a few years ago. Its an amazing building with an incredible view from the roof. We were asked not to take photos of the nearby Ministry of Justice building. Apparently the MoJ were a bit sensitive about that! My favourite titbit is one of the foundation stones which reads thus: "Metropolitan District Railway Company. This stone was laid on 24th September 1928 by Thomas Auton, Housekeeper 1899-1929. For 43 years a servant of the companies". No chairman or managing director needed for this job!
One slight inaccuracy - the central tower was never intended to be used as office space, it houses the central lobbies, lifts and main stairwell. It was actually the entire 9th floor across all four wings which was unoccupied due to fire safety concerns.
I'd guessed that was the purpose of the tower. It was Mr. Cartwright's* office - the lift attendant, perhaps. On this thought, there is a lift in New Zealand which does contain an office. I think it takes your money for using the lift and sells you a tourist information booklet etc. But no defibrilator. *Not necessarily his real name.
My last job for LUL was running a team occupying one wing of the 9th floor, easily my best office ever - even had an outside area (to watch the occasional fly-past from)
@@trevorhaynes7628 My local Health and Safety Exectutive was housed in a old cotton mill. With an irony enjoyed by many - the floor collapsed from under one of their board meetings. I nearly had a stroke myself upon reading it in the local rag.
I totally agree, I love this building and others like it for the sense of optimism they convey. I had a similar feeling visiting the Sarinnen-designed former TWA terminal at JFK airport in New York. It’s as if buildings like this are proclaiming “Look! Here is the future and it’s going to be splendid.”
I went to a job interview there, aged 18. Dim and distant past.. Got interviewed by a ringer for Blakey from On the Buses. They decided to forego the opportunity to give me employment.. Ta Jago.
There was a guy at Bond Street station in the 90s looked exactly like Blakey! He used to be on controller duty on the platform.. I'm sure LT was aware of his likeness, that's why they put him out there!
Fun fact: Newcastle United play at St James' Park, Exeter City at St James Park. Also I said 'him again' about a second before you. There was probably a worldwide chorus of us. Nice vid as always 👍
Yet another simply spiffing piece from Mr H. So very informative. And the real skill, I venture to suggest, is the inclusion of apparently useless snippets which upon delivery immediately become vital information. That's a very real talent you have there, Mr T. There's probably a role for you in Government. Thanks, Simon T
There's an annual festival called Open House London, in September, when various buildings around London open their doors to the public for guided tours. In the past, 55 Broadway has taken part in this, though it changing hands may have put the kibosh on that.
I love this one! I worked at 55 Broadway for a while in the early and mid 90's. I really loved the offices and was far more impressed than some of the famous modern city buildings, however impressive. To be fair, even back then its age was evident and had its challenges. Even so, I loved it inside and out. They are also, believe or not, one of the nicest companies I ever worked for/with. The people were all just really good people, well the ones I met. They had been a client of mine when I worked in recruitment, they were a delight to work with and all my temps loved working there, many were permanent temps and no one ever asked me to get them out or get them a place elsewhere. Years later, my aunt worked there as a contractor for several years and she always said how everyone was so nice to work with. I'm not saying they were all really really nice and in the same way, in a Stepford Tube Staff kind of weird way, but I never met or heard of anyone meeting an @rse or wish list having a git of a boss. I can't say I'm surprised they are moving, but flats would have been so much better than a swanky hotel. I really hope they leave the entrance hall and clocks alone, though I doubt it. Great video, as usual!
When I worked for LU, it was usually just called '55' and the snooty office workers all looked down on you if you turned up in uniform, although the two ladies at reception were lovely. The directors on the top floor had a carpet so plush you could lose your family in it.
There's literally a brand new "luxury" hotel built recently just opposite st james park tube and 10 seconds away new scotland yard been demolished for 1000s of "luxury" apartments soon to be finished now this will be a "luxury" hotel - you won't see a single light on at night when built all investment - all during a housing crisis.....
Before Covid my daily too and from station. On one platform it says St.James’, on the other St.James’s - looks like they were hedging their bets as well.
@@monkey7431_ Modern style is for plurals to take no s (such as “the pilots’ lounge” or “the apples’ cores”) but for words that simply end in s but aren’t plural to take an additional s (such as “the focus’s centre” or “the fungus’s characteristics”). St. James’s Park simply reflects this, since ‘St. James’ is not plural.
6:06 Senate House was the inspiration for George Orwell's Ministry of Truth where Winston Smith worked. It certainly looks a bit sinister. A few pieces of sculpture might have made it less so.
@@GorgeDawes which may be why it was used in the 1995 film version of Richard III, set in an alternate-history fascist Britain of the 1930s. Actually, it's amazing how many films and TV shows have used Senate House. I used to work there, and there was frequent disruption caused by filming taking place. When you have an iconic building, that's a useful extra source of income, I suppose.
Back in the early 1990s I had a chance to go there (to meet Dennis Tunnicliffe - then Managing Director of LUL) as part of a University project. The outside of the building had nothing compared to the executive suites. And I believe it was the 9th floor that had a private restaurant/carvery! I still remember all the wood paneling and the sheer size of some of the offices. [Not that he offices in Acton Town & some of the other sites I 'worked' at were any smaller - some offices were the size of the whole downstairs of most houses!].
Used to visit 55 Broadway for a monthly meeting. The stairwells are gorgeous with granite and brass fittings as well as a treasure trove of LT/LPTB/TfL ephemera on the walls. The canteen was excellent too! Part of the problem with the office accommodations was that so much of the internals can’t be modified due to the historical merit they impart. The executive offices and boardroom are fantastic with original wood panelling and large portraits of the Greats of Old. Handily sited for a pint after work too, if you don’t mind paying Westminster prices!
I used to visit occasionally and was always impressed by the art deco nature of the interior: shame I was only allowed in when they wanted to give me a rollocking about the lack of progress on whatever radio system I was working on at the time.
Thank you for this. The last couple times I was in London, this was the station closest to my hotel and so it has a special place in my heart. That and yes, the building is very lovely to look at.
Was lucky enough to go on one of the last tours of 55 Broadway before it was leased out. Lovely building and thankfully protected from development. 54 Broadway used to be the MI6 headquarters, who knew!
John le Carre outed it in a documentary (which is on RUclips) several years ago, so quite a lot of people knew actually. He said when he worked there, for MI6, there was no security to speak of...
@@rodjones117 He also mentioned it in his sort-of-autobiography The Pigeon Tunnel. The current HQ is rather better known. In fact short of putting up a 50 foot high sign in flashing pink neon it couldn't be more conspicuous.
Jago, don't worry. Here in the Netherlands, Amsterdam in particular, we also transform landmark buildings into hotels. I work for GVB, the transport company for Amsterdam, and our HQ used to be in het Scheepvaarthuis, this was the old HQ for big shipping companies in the 1800s and early 1900s. Our company held office there from 1983 untill 2005. Now it's the Amsterdam Amrath Hotel. So, welcome to the club old Chap!
I walked past 55 Broadway en route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace and the whole time as we walked by I felt equal amounts of reverence and dread.
I’ve walked by that building many times. I so sorry I never really looked at it. Thank you for for this gem of a video. How did I miss this wonderful video posted over a year ago?
4.04 there is a shot of the building with a post box outside. In the days when you could hide behind the pillars, I have it on good authority that spies (the blind match seller) used to hide behind the pillars, directly behind the said post box. Opposite was 54 Broadway which was the Minimax Fire Extinguisher Company. As Jago would say, "nothing too suspicious about that", however the Minimax Fire Extinguisher company was just a cover for the building which was actually the HQ to MI6. I believe there was a tunnel directly from 50 Broadway to St James Park station, but I could be wrong. Nice clip, thanks Jago.
I went for training at the then new Oyster department at 55 Broadway in the mid 2000s. From the moment I entered the building I was stunned.. people coming from doors in all directions, it was literally like Leicester Square ticket hall in rush hour 😁 never seen a workplace like it. Apparently it has 10 floors up, and THREE down - with an employees entrance to St. James'ssss Park station! What totally spooked me though was the Control room, where CCTVs on every train, bus and tram from Heathrow to Hainault can be viewed. That's when it dawned on me that LT/TfL has the level of encroachment similar to MI5, made sense when at the time Scotland Yard was just around the corner. I didn't get the job but for two weeks I took full advantage of the free travelcard and the oh-so-lush fully subsidised canteen, which is worth a video in its own right!
Use to work across the road at the old New Scotland Yard, 10 Broadway. The building always looked like it would have been better off in America, but l loved the sculptures that adorned the outside. Eric Gill would probably be the most disputed artist of today .
Another superb and comical tale of one of London's large Underground stations not to mention that dastardly entrepreneur Mr Yerkes This building reminds me of the Regent Palace Hotel that was between Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street sadly demolished some years ago for redevelopment. Methinks it could also been designed by Frank Pick as it too had naked statues adorning its sides and a similar style.
Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down, so days are longer than they used to be. Around 350 million years ago, each day was less than 23 hours long. Which would have affected the tube timetable.
@@SheeplessNW6 Hmm. Would have meant the Tubeosaurii only needed a 27-hour day rather than the 28-hour day that LU has historically used for scheduling.
Jago, it's always pronounced "Jameses". James', note the apostrophe behind, is a grammatically correct contraction of James's. Maybe just me but I love 55 Broadway. It's an architectural masterpiece. One wonders what the prude brigade would have made of Capitol House in Edinburgh. Originally the home of an insurance company, this modernist building has bronze statues above either side of it's entrance, with the entire artwork being called "The Family". One side has a naked woman nursing a baby, and a naked boy in front of her, and the other side has a naked man with a naked girl in front of him. Personally I love it, but it has drawn some controversy in it's time.
Big thanks for this one - a real memory jerker for me - when I worked in London I would come into this station every day, and walk up Whitehall at lunchtimes! I managed to cut through the waffle, to focus on the subject of the title, and learned alot, so Thanks again 🙂
The number of hours I've spent in the various reception holding pens waiting for meetings, interviews and so on are without number, or at least I can't put a number to said times of waiting......
Spent many hours working in that building from late 70s to late 90s the architecture inside was amazing with some parts still all original glass chandeliers original old lift indicators some rooms still had wood lined paneld walls & light fixtures.
I had the pleasure of working at 55 Broadway in the early 80s, in the quaintly-named Train Working Office, recording and analysing failures and delays on the Underground. Although I was not in one of the sumptuous wood-pannelled offices on the upper floors but rather in a freezing cold room on the first floor, overlooking St Ermin's Hill, an alleyway where the adjacent hotel kept their bins (through which people could often be seen rummaging for anything edible). One Christmas, I ended up on a terraced garden but had no idea how I had got there and I was never able to locate it again.
Here's a weird fun fact: The Associated Press Stylebook says to use _'s_ at the end of singular common nouns ending in S, _unless_ the noun in question ends in a double S _and_ the next word begins with S. So "the witness's response" is OK, but "the witness's statement" is just _too many Ses_ and must be rendered "the witness' statement". _Proper_ nouns ending in S, on the other hand, only get an apostrophe, with the very specific _exception_ of St. James's in London. Because, as we know, the purpose of a stylebook is to _establish consistency._ :)
Just down the road from 55 Broadway is 2 Broadway - the location of the MTA. Well, the MTA (the New York City regional transit authority) is indeed on 2 Broadway but it is on the *real* Broadway in New York City not some ersatz one concocted by the Brits. Don’t bother visiting - it is in a non-descript building in the Internationalist style. More like a cut-rate corporate block than anything of note. The real work of the NY Transit Authority (the bit that actually runs the subways) is done in downtown Brooklyn near Fulton St, It, also, is a non-descript tower although you wouldn’t know it because it’s constantly behind scaffolding. No, seriously! When my mates in college went to work there in the late 80’s (on graffiti resistant paints) it had scaffolding. When I was there in the last 90’s it had scaffolding. When I last saw it just before the pandemic it had scaffolding. I wonder if it’s like that episode of “Yes, Minister” where nobody actually works there and they just keep the scaffolding up to avoid questions? Oh, and if you are in the neighborhood you should check it out because it is across from the “New York Transit Museum” which does have wonderful people working there AND a Hazzardesque bounty of transit history.
I always learn something from these videos Mr H. Even if I'm familiar with the subject matter, as in this case, you always manage to include a wee nugget that triggers me to conduct further research. This time, you slipped in a little gem - the height of the building meaning it couldn't be used as offices. That's a new one on me and I'm away to find out more - if I can. Cheers for now, Dougie.
Disappointed that I left it too late to book a tour through the LTM.... luckily the owner of the building, whose current hotel we use, had promised a look around at some stage, although given the pandemic and all that has proved a little difficult....
I did part of my school commute by St James's station as a teenager and used to love 55 broadway, I thought it looked like something out of batman's Gotham XD
Might I be so bold as to point out that 55 Broadway was constructed for a private sector corporation, not a government department or agency, and therefore the sale of this building for conversion to a hotel is _returning_ it to the private sector.
Office blocks are not public - only workers and invited people allowed. The public can enter hotels - foyers, bars, restaurants, and even pay to occupy a room.
As a native New Yorker, I genuinely appreciate how this building has an address worthy of my city! I do believe there's an actual 55 Broadway here in NYC, just not as austere as your London version. Funny enough, here in America, a similar... eh-hum... edifice malfunction occurred regarding similar statues. The grand architectural marvel known as Union Station in Washington, DC was originally adorned with nude male statues. Citizens became outraged. Local municipalities demanded something be done. The solution? Each statue was strategically covered from the waist down with shields!
the statue appendage issue reminds me of the statues outside hammersmith station for the district and piccadilly lines which i used to pass as a teenager on the way to school, you can imagine the reaction of teenagers lol
I was actually here on Sunday (I came down to London to meet up with someone I know who was in the London Marathon) as it was the closest Tube station to the finish line, and managed to recognise everything from Jago's video!
Some 15 years ago I worked for TFL at Victoria and was treated by our then Station Manager to lunch in the Staff Canteen on the second but top floor, outside of which was a terrace which had excellent views over the area.
I had an amazing photo of 55 Broadway that I took from the 12th floor of New Scotland Yard. I'm not sure where it is now. Probably on my broken old hard drive.
Surely, by now, Yerkes should have his own theme music
Played on a honky tonk piano
What about the Darth Vader music?
"Bad to the bone"
How could it be anything other than "Yakety Sax"?
I came here to comment the same. Just a little musical sting whenever Yerkes makes an appearance.
The Manchester Guardian was considered to be more of a national paper than a local one, it eventually dropped "Manchester" from its name and became "The Guardian" (or "The Grauniad" in some circles)
My Editor was always ticking me off for the gallons of Tippex I got through when typing up a story. Just as well he and the Linotype operators didn't have to read the almost unreadable carbon copies. Any typos did not come from me, grammatical errors maybe.
Though whatever caused the gremlins that acquired it that name has been fixed long ago,I'm glad it's not just me who still calls it the Grauniad sometimes.
@@rjjcms1 I think it was a Private Eye nickname that derived from its notoriety for misprints and missing sections from before they switched to computerised publishing. (News of the Screws was another name that originated at Private Eye.)
@@rjjcms1 Not so. as a daily reader of the online editions I can confirm, there are still frequently errors, or rather errors frequently.
@@RobRidleyLive ... or frequent errors.
“..depicted male nudity. The press went nuts over it”
Jago, please never change 🙂
😂
Also, it sounds like "with condomnation......"
Someone had a bollocking
Fancy being offended " over a little thing like that . "
I manage to miss many of these.
The statue's falling head hurt the foot of Mrs Jameson or Mrs James'son? Or Mrs James's son?
I also wonder, 'which head'?
No... "Mrs James' son", I believe.
"St. James's"? An abomination before the Lord.
@@nicktecky55 Since "James" is not plural, the possessive is correctly "James's" though "James'" is also permissible.
To quote Liza Doolittle: "One day I'll be famous! I'll be proper and prim;
Go to St. James so often I will call it St. Jim!"
@@johnm2012 Nope. Any word ending in 's' has the apostrophe after. Should it be: "the princess's cloak"? Perhaps "Croesus's gold"?
Unfortunately, in a world that gives us "Advanced Warning" of roadworks written on a road sign rather than by holographic projection, we cannot rely on our public officials in these matters.
I worked for LT at 55 Broadway for a few years in the 1990s and loved that building. The LT corporate typeface, New Johnston, was designed by Edward Johnston who taught Eric Gill stonemasonry at evening classes. Sadly we moved round the corner to Windsor House, just another soulless office block in Victoria Street, and things were never quite the same.
No wonder Gill Sans bears some similar features to Johnston!
Yerkes is almost like the reveal in a Scooby Doo carton. What dastardly fiend is behind this mess. Why it's Yerkes..... again.
It's only a matter of time before he emerges as a Bond villain
".....Yerkes was a Chicago businessman" like Al Capone?
@@ericpode6095 Or Hillary Clinton's father, who took over organised crime there when Capone died.
I have come to the conclusion that each Underground station isn't a train station anymore, but a museum of all the versions of the station which have existed before.
You’re not far wrong!
We don't have train stations in the UK. We have railway stations and thick people.
@@millomweb It's a lost cause, but keep up the struggle.
It seems transport cafes are now 'truckstops'.
Ugh!
@@bingola45 Really ? I thought they were Greasy Spoons ;)
"...male nudity. The press went nuts..."
Well done, Mr Hazzard!
“Yep. Him again! “ 😱
YERKE! :shakes fist:
@@tamarab5751 I am sure I will meet him in some dark underground passageway one day! 😳
Before starting to watch Jago's videos, I didn't even know who Charles Tyson Yerkes was. How things change.
You've got some catching up to do!
It's probably best for all concerned that nobody knows the full story.
I had wondered why that particular statue was nicknamed... "Stumpy". Thank you for answering that long-held question that I hadn't dared ask.
When is Buckingham Palace being turned into a Travelodge ?
No no, that’s one was never for the benefit of the public, so it can stay.
@@kaitlyn__L Ahh, Getting it confused with St George's Hospital at Hyde Park Corner - though central london does not a hospital when chelsea hospital is just down the road
Always liked 55 Broadway, but it was easy to get lost inside! All the time it remained as offices it retained some lovely features inside, including the service interval indicators in the lobby (to give the directors a picture of how each line was running)
I used to love the service level indicators (is that their proper name? I just used to call them train counters). They were a good way to pass the time when waiting on friends to turn up.
St Jame: patron saint of grammatical arguments on the internet.
It's mechanics, not grammar ;)
As someone whose name ends in 's', I feel for the guy.
When I started work in 1971, I worked at 28 Broadway (now a hotel) which was, and is, directly opposite 55 - I was never offended by the statues - they certainly did not give me the willies
Someone got there before you!
They didn't make it hard for you then?
Let's agree to just call the station "St. Jame's Park" so no one will be happy with it.
I've spent many hours looking at that building from The Star across the road. The flying buttresses 's's always fascinated me.
Ha ha!
Nelson?
I spent many an hour from my office looking at The Star across the road waiting for Friday night when we were allowed to drink !!
@@footplate0 So you were the face pressed up against the window. I think we used to wave to each other.
Had some pints in the Star when I worked at 55B in the ‘60s.
I'm enjoying your wider architectural analyses Mr Hazzard.
I had no idea Bauhaus was so old. I thought it was from like the 70s or 80s. Must have been so weird for Bela Lugosi hearing that song in his 30s.
Lovely building to work in, but a pain to install computer cabling. And don't get me started on connecting it to the TfL building in Victoria Street! Kept me busy though.
My dad, my son & I were given a tour of 55 Broadway as part of Open London a few years ago. Its an amazing building with an incredible view from the roof. We were asked not to take photos of the nearby Ministry of Justice building. Apparently the MoJ were a bit sensitive about that!
My favourite titbit is one of the foundation stones which reads thus:
"Metropolitan District Railway Company. This stone was laid on 24th September 1928 by Thomas Auton, Housekeeper 1899-1929. For 43 years a servant of the companies".
No chairman or managing director needed for this job!
One slight inaccuracy - the central tower was never intended to be used as office space, it houses the central lobbies, lifts and main stairwell. It was actually the entire 9th floor across all four wings which was unoccupied due to fire safety concerns.
I'd guessed that was the purpose of the tower.
It was Mr. Cartwright's* office - the lift attendant, perhaps. On this thought, there is a lift in New Zealand which does contain an office. I think it takes your money for using the lift and sells you a tourist information booklet etc. But no defibrilator.
*Not necessarily his real name.
Ironically, when an anti-smoking exhibition was staged in the tower in the 1970s, it caught fire!
My last job for LUL was running a team occupying one wing of the 9th floor, easily my best office ever - even had an outside area (to watch the occasional fly-past from)
@@trevorhaynes7628 My local Health and Safety Exectutive was housed in a old cotton mill.
With an irony enjoyed by many - the floor collapsed from under one of their board meetings.
I nearly had a stroke myself upon reading it in the local rag.
@@trevorhaynes7628 excellent surname!
"Oh err Missis......could have had someone's eye out with that"! What a beautiful-looking building though.
Love this station, and the building above for its aesthetics and idealism. One of the best looking examples of Art Deco in London.
I totally agree, I love this building and others like it for the sense of optimism they convey. I had a similar feeling visiting the Sarinnen-designed former TWA terminal at JFK airport in New York. It’s as if buildings like this are proclaiming “Look! Here is the future and it’s going to be splendid.”
I was there this morning for the first time in 18 months, and remember why this is one of my favourite building in London!
I went to a job interview there, aged 18. Dim and distant past..
Got interviewed by a ringer for Blakey from On the Buses.
They decided to forego the opportunity to give me employment..
Ta Jago.
I hate you Bunyan !!
Get that bus aht!
@@SheeplessNW6
Oh that's wonderful that is isn't it.
Come on you get this bus out of here !!
There was a guy at Bond Street station in the 90s looked exactly like Blakey! He used to be on controller duty on the platform.. I'm sure LT was aware of his likeness, that's why they put him out there!
@@darganx
God help all those who didn't mind the doors !!
Fun fact: Newcastle United play at St James' Park, Exeter City at St James Park. Also I said 'him again' about a second before you. There was probably a worldwide chorus of us. Nice vid as always 👍
Yet another simply spiffing piece from Mr H. So very informative. And the real skill, I venture to suggest, is the inclusion of apparently useless snippets which upon delivery immediately become vital information. That's a very real talent you have there, Mr T. There's probably a role for you in Government. Thanks, Simon T
As a commercial leasing manager, I will spend the rest of my day inspecting 55 Broadway for vacancy ads to see what it looks like inside :D
There's an annual festival called Open House London, in September, when various buildings around London open their doors to the public for guided tours. In the past, 55 Broadway has taken part in this, though it changing hands may have put the kibosh on that.
Love the closing comment about public vs private. Right on!
As always fantastic , please never stop. I love the humor, subtle, as is expected.
I love this one! I worked at 55 Broadway for a while in the early and mid 90's. I really loved the offices and was far more impressed than some of the famous modern city buildings, however impressive. To be fair, even back then its age was evident and had its challenges. Even so, I loved it inside and out. They are also, believe or not, one of the nicest companies I ever worked for/with. The people were all just really good people, well the ones I met. They had been a client of mine when I worked in recruitment, they were a delight to work with and all my temps loved working there, many were permanent temps and no one ever asked me to get them out or get them a place elsewhere. Years later, my aunt worked there as a contractor for several years and she always said how everyone was so nice to work with. I'm not saying they were all really really nice and in the same way, in a Stepford Tube Staff kind of weird way, but I never met or heard of anyone meeting an @rse or wish list having a git of a boss. I can't say I'm surprised they are moving, but flats would have been so much better than a swanky hotel. I really hope they leave the entrance hall and clocks alone, though I doubt it. Great video, as usual!
When I worked for LU, it was usually just called '55' and the snooty office workers all looked down on you if you turned up in uniform, although the two ladies at reception were lovely. The directors on the top floor had a carpet so plush you could lose your family in it.
There's literally a brand new "luxury" hotel built recently just opposite st james park tube and 10 seconds away new scotland yard been demolished for 1000s of "luxury" apartments soon to be finished now this will be a "luxury" hotel - you won't see a single light on at night when built all investment - all during a housing crisis.....
It reminds me a little of that other wedding cake, Broadcasting House.
Me too, especially since BH also has a 'truncated' Epstein statue over it's main doors. That guy form in his statuary.
I started my first job at 55 Broadway in July 1968, there was an enterance to the offices from the platform. Happy memories of working there.
Before Covid my daily too and from station.
On one platform it says St.James’, on the other St.James’s - looks like they were hedging their bets as well.
It’s St. James’s on all modern signage.
@@oldvlognewtricks What terrible England that is
@@monkey7431_ Modern style is for plurals to take no s (such as “the pilots’ lounge” or “the apples’ cores”) but for words that simply end in s but aren’t plural to take an additional s (such as “the focus’s centre” or “the fungus’s characteristics”).
St. James’s Park simply reflects this, since ‘St. James’ is not plural.
@@trainrover rubbish My desk's corners say so.
@@trainrover Your comment’s substance is lacking.
6:06 Senate House was the inspiration for George Orwell's Ministry of Truth where Winston Smith worked. It certainly looks a bit sinister. A few pieces of sculpture might have made it less so.
Orwell work there during the war, ministry of information
If you get a chance to look around Senate House, you can visit room 101.
@@SheeplessNW6 Room 101 was the conference room at Broadcasting House.
Supposedly Hitler had it earmarked as the future headquarters of the occupying forces once the UK had been brought to submission.
@@GorgeDawes which may be why it was used in the 1995 film version of Richard III, set in an alternate-history fascist Britain of the 1930s.
Actually, it's amazing how many films and TV shows have used Senate House. I used to work there, and there was frequent disruption caused by filming taking place. When you have an iconic building, that's a useful extra source of income, I suppose.
Back in the early 1990s I had a chance to go there (to meet Dennis Tunnicliffe - then Managing Director of LUL) as part of a University project. The outside of the building had nothing compared to the executive suites. And I believe it was the 9th floor that had a private restaurant/carvery! I still remember all the wood paneling and the sheer size of some of the offices. [Not that he offices in Acton Town & some of the other sites I 'worked' at were any smaller - some offices were the size of the whole downstairs of most houses!].
Used to visit 55 Broadway for a monthly meeting. The stairwells are gorgeous with granite and brass fittings as well as a treasure trove of LT/LPTB/TfL ephemera on the walls.
The canteen was excellent too!
Part of the problem with the office accommodations was that so much of the internals can’t be modified due to the historical merit they impart.
The executive offices and boardroom are fantastic with original wood panelling and large portraits of the Greats of Old.
Handily sited for a pint after work too, if you don’t mind paying Westminster prices!
I used to visit occasionally and was always impressed by the art deco nature of the interior: shame I was only allowed in when they wanted to give me a rollocking about the lack of progress on whatever radio system I was working on at the time.
Thank you for this. The last couple times I was in London, this was the station closest to my hotel and so it has a special place in my heart. That and yes, the building is very lovely to look at.
Was lucky enough to go on one of the last tours of 55 Broadway before it was leased out. Lovely building and thankfully protected from development.
54 Broadway used to be the MI6 headquarters, who knew!
Who knew...that was the point, no?
John le Carre outed it in a documentary (which is on RUclips) several years ago, so quite a lot of people knew actually. He said when he worked there, for MI6, there was no security to speak of...
I went on one of those tours too. Glad I took the chance then, can't imagine I will be staying at the hotel any time!
@@rodjones117 He also mentioned it in his sort-of-autobiography The Pigeon Tunnel. The current HQ is rather better known. In fact short of putting up a 50 foot high sign in flashing pink neon it couldn't be more conspicuous.
Was that next door to the passport office.
Jago, don't worry. Here in the Netherlands, Amsterdam in particular, we also transform landmark buildings into hotels. I work for GVB, the transport company for Amsterdam, and our HQ used to be in het Scheepvaarthuis, this was the old HQ for big shipping companies in the 1800s and early 1900s. Our company held office there from 1983 untill 2005. Now it's the Amsterdam Amrath Hotel. So, welcome to the club old Chap!
How appropriate for Yerkes to turn up in a video mentioning a building's once offensive appendages...
Coming from a German, your pronunciation of Bauhaus is pretty on point.
I walked past 55 Broadway en route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace and the whole time as we walked by I felt equal amounts of reverence and dread.
I’ve walked by that building many times. I so sorry I never really looked at it. Thank you for for this gem of a video. How did I miss this wonderful video posted over a year ago?
4.04 there is a shot of the building with a post box outside. In the days when you could hide behind the pillars, I have it on good authority that spies (the blind match seller) used to hide behind the pillars, directly behind the said post box. Opposite was 54 Broadway which was the Minimax Fire Extinguisher Company. As Jago would say, "nothing too suspicious about that", however the Minimax Fire Extinguisher company was just a cover for the building which was actually the HQ to MI6. I believe there was a tunnel directly from 50 Broadway to St James Park station, but I could be wrong. Nice clip, thanks Jago.
I went for training at the then new Oyster department at 55 Broadway in the mid 2000s. From the moment I entered the building I was stunned.. people coming from doors in all directions, it was literally like Leicester Square ticket hall in rush hour 😁 never seen a workplace like it.
Apparently it has 10 floors up, and THREE down - with an employees entrance to St. James'ssss Park station! What totally spooked me though was the Control room, where CCTVs on every train, bus and tram from Heathrow to Hainault can be viewed. That's when it dawned on me that LT/TfL has the level of encroachment similar to MI5, made sense when at the time Scotland Yard was just around the corner.
I didn't get the job but for two weeks I took full advantage of the free travelcard and the oh-so-lush fully subsidised canteen, which is worth a video in its own right!
I thought you'd forgotten about me for a while there.
Thank you for joining us Mr Yerkes
@@barneypaws4883 I'm admiring his pluck!
Yerkes: very much the Blofeld to Jago’s bond
Use to work across the road at the old New Scotland Yard, 10 Broadway. The building always looked like it would have been better off in America, but l loved the sculptures that adorned the outside. Eric Gill would probably be the most disputed artist of today .
1:19 Rise up and applause the great Yerkes!
I feel one can never have enough CTY when making mention of the Underground!
Yerkes's
He's the baddie. You're supposed to boo and hiss, not applaud!
Yes, please do
@@johnm2012 Evil genius or lovable rogue? 🤔 Depending on the amount of time twiddling his mustache in a Dick Dastardly fashion I would wager.
Thanks....I used to pass through this place every Saturday and thought it to be quite an impressive building.
This video brought back memories for me as a former inhabitant of Electric Railway House.
Another superb and comical tale of one of London's large Underground stations not to mention that dastardly entrepreneur Mr Yerkes
This building reminds me of the Regent Palace Hotel that was between Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street sadly demolished some years ago for redevelopment.
Methinks it could also been designed by Frank Pick as it too had naked statues adorning its sides and a similar style.
I'm surprised there was no comment about how short the day is now compared to the past.
Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down, so days are longer than they used to be. Around 350 million years ago, each day was less than 23 hours long. Which would have affected the tube timetable.
@@SheeplessNW6 And that's why the dinosaurs didn't invent the Tube.
@@SheeplessNW6 Hmm. Would have meant the Tubeosaurii only needed a 27-hour day rather than the 28-hour day that LU has historically used for scheduling.
Hail Yerkes! Transport super-villain!
Jago, it's always pronounced "Jameses". James', note the apostrophe behind, is a grammatically correct contraction of James's.
Maybe just me but I love 55 Broadway. It's an architectural masterpiece.
One wonders what the prude brigade would have made of Capitol House in Edinburgh. Originally the home of an insurance company, this modernist building has bronze statues above either side of it's entrance, with the entire artwork being called "The Family". One side has a naked woman nursing a baby, and a naked boy in front of her, and the other side has a naked man with a naked girl in front of him. Personally I love it, but it has drawn some controversy in it's time.
Can we get a Yerkes playlist? :)
I concur
@@charlestyerkes8833 😂
Always liked the Art Deco arcade there.
Big thanks for this one - a real memory jerker for me - when I worked in London I would come into this station every day, and walk up Whitehall at lunchtimes! I managed to cut through the waffle, to focus on the subject of the title, and learned alot, so Thanks again 🙂
Very interesting. I will check this out , I walked past Buckingham Palace today, did not go to the St james park 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
The number of hours I've spent in the various reception holding pens waiting for meetings, interviews and so on are without number, or at least I can't put a number to said times of waiting......
Spent many hours working in that building from late 70s to late 90s the architecture inside was amazing with some parts still all original glass chandeliers original old lift indicators some rooms still had wood lined paneld walls & light fixtures.
I might have misheard... "condemnation", or "condomnation"?
I laughed all the way through this! I really appreciate your humor and your look at the Tube as well.
"People are too offended these days!"
People 90 years ago:
They were in their right to do so, I can see why they said that those statues were nightmare inducing, because they are.
That can be said about any statute honestly, it all a matter of opinion.
@@Kishanth.J Nah if you hold/learned any aesthetic values you will start to see a difference between shitty art and good quality stuff
@@Nostalg1a I was more referring to the whole statue removal debate around controversial figures rather than the art of the statues them selves
And outrage over Epstein vs. nudity seems to be a recurring pattern too, I suppose
'condom-nation'. What you did there, I see it.
Always love your videos, Jago! Very entertaining!
I had the pleasure of working at 55 Broadway in the early 80s, in the quaintly-named Train Working Office, recording and analysing failures and delays on the Underground. Although I was not in one of the sumptuous wood-pannelled offices on the upper floors but rather in a freezing cold room on the first floor, overlooking St Ermin's Hill, an alleyway where the adjacent hotel kept their bins (through which people could often be seen rummaging for anything edible). One Christmas, I ended up on a terraced garden but had no idea how I had got there and I was never able to locate it again.
Here's a weird fun fact: The Associated Press Stylebook says to use _'s_ at the end of singular common nouns ending in S, _unless_ the noun in question ends in a double S _and_ the next word begins with S. So "the witness's response" is OK, but "the witness's statement" is just _too many Ses_ and must be rendered "the witness' statement".
_Proper_ nouns ending in S, on the other hand, only get an apostrophe, with the very specific _exception_ of St. James's in London. Because, as we know, the purpose of a stylebook is to _establish consistency._ :)
Another brilliant and entertaining monograph.
Great video very informative. Here in the States, they just knock down old buildings. Glad it will have another life.
Very interesting. I like your slightly 'off piste" videos. I've known the 55 Broadway address all my life, but never knew exactly where it was!
That is one impressive list of sculptors.
Just down the road from 55 Broadway is 2 Broadway - the location of the MTA. Well, the MTA (the New York City regional transit authority) is indeed on 2 Broadway but it is on the *real* Broadway in New York City not some ersatz one concocted by the Brits. Don’t bother visiting - it is in a non-descript building in the Internationalist style. More like a cut-rate corporate block than anything of note. The real work of the NY Transit Authority (the bit that actually runs the subways) is done in downtown Brooklyn near Fulton St, It, also, is a non-descript tower although you wouldn’t know it because it’s constantly behind scaffolding. No, seriously! When my mates in college went to work there in the late 80’s (on graffiti resistant paints) it had scaffolding. When I was there in the last 90’s it had scaffolding. When I last saw it just before the pandemic it had scaffolding. I wonder if it’s like that episode of “Yes, Minister” where nobody actually works there and they just keep the scaffolding up to avoid questions?
Oh, and if you are in the neighborhood you should check it out because it is across from the “New York Transit Museum” which does have wonderful people working there AND a Hazzardesque bounty of transit history.
I always learn something from these videos Mr H. Even if I'm familiar with the subject matter, as in this case, you always manage to include a wee nugget that triggers me to conduct further research. This time, you slipped in a little gem - the height of the building meaning it couldn't be used as offices. That's a new one on me and I'm away to find out more - if I can.
Cheers for now,
Dougie.
Yet another enjoyable, excellent and well-researched video. Thank you.
It was an absolute joy to work in this building for 4 years from 2014-2018
I love how it was the reduction is size not removal of the offending items that appeased the complaints lol made me smile
Interesting video once again!
Disappointed that I left it too late to book a tour through the LTM.... luckily the owner of the building, whose current hotel we use, had promised a look around at some stage, although given the pandemic and all that has proved a little difficult....
Excellent Jago
I did part of my school commute by St James's station as a teenager and used to love 55 broadway, I thought it looked like something out of batman's Gotham XD
Might I be so bold as to point out that 55 Broadway was constructed for a private sector corporation, not a government department or agency, and therefore the sale of this building for conversion to a hotel is _returning_ it to the private sector.
Office blocks are not public - only workers and invited people allowed. The public can enter hotels - foyers, bars, restaurants, and even pay to occupy a room.
As a native New Yorker, I genuinely appreciate how this building has an address worthy of my city! I do believe there's an actual 55 Broadway here in NYC, just not as austere as your London version. Funny enough, here in America, a similar... eh-hum... edifice malfunction occurred regarding similar statues. The grand architectural marvel known as Union Station in Washington, DC was originally adorned with nude male statues. Citizens became outraged. Local municipalities demanded something be done. The solution? Each statue was strategically covered from the waist down with shields!
the statue appendage issue reminds me of the statues outside hammersmith station for the district and piccadilly lines which i used to pass as a teenager on the way to school, you can imagine the reaction of teenagers lol
I was actually here on Sunday (I came down to London to meet up with someone I know who was in the London Marathon) as it was the closest Tube station to the finish line, and managed to recognise everything from Jago's video!
Some 15 years ago I worked for TFL at Victoria and was treated by our then Station Manager to lunch in the Staff Canteen on the second but top floor, outside of which was a terrace which had excellent views over the area.
No Yerkes no Tube as we know it?
Had to go there for my job interview
I had an amazing photo of 55 Broadway that I took from the 12th floor of New Scotland Yard. I'm not sure where it is now. Probably on my broken old hard drive.
For a grey building it certainly has a colourful story. Nicely done!
I did, I did enjoy that very much, one of your best works I’d say, thank you.
Thanks for the interesting upload.
Did removing the dangerous bits from the statues make them 'armless?
Fantastic video once again. I love the videos of the buildings and similar.
Great work. 👍🏼
...
and just when I thought I am out, Yerkes pulled me back in...