Turnpike Lane tube station

The station was opened on 19 September 1932. It was the first Underground station in the Municipal Borough of Tottenham and was located at the meeting point of the boroughs of Tottenham, Hornsey and Wood Green, all now part of the London Borough of Haringey. Like all stations on the Cockfosters extension, Turnpike Lane set new aesthetic standards not previously seen on the Underground. During the planning period for the extension to Cockfosters, two alternative names for this station, North Harringay and Ducketts Green (Ducketts Common is located opposite) were considered but rejected.

The station was designed by the architect Charles Holden and is a well-preserved example of the modernist house style of London Transport in the 1930s. It was listed at Grade II in 1994. The ticket hall is an enormous brick box, with two large ventilation towers, half-sunk into the surrounding ground. Its high walls contain segmented windows that allow natural light to shine far into the station. The effect in late afternoon light is akin to that in a cathedral transept. Two of the street entrances gave access to the tram routes to and from Alexandra Palace via tramway island exits into Turnpike Lane. The tram services were withdrawn in 1938 and replaced by buses; these continued to use the…