I met Harry at Starbucks in Euston station and after a cup of coffee we walked back to Euston Square station where we were meeting the tour party for our £37 trip to the bowels of Euston Station.
I was expecting to travel under the mainline station but it was all about the underground. First of all we had a briefing at Euston Sq and were asked to bear high visibility jackets, a la Gilets Jaune. We followed in an orderly line to the underground and went down onto the Northern line platform which was originally an island platform with trains passing on either side. So when you go there the platform is quiet wide compared with most stations. (see picture below).
At the end of this platform you can just see a door and this is where we entered for our tour of the tunnels. At one point later in the tour we looked down on the platform through the ventilation shafts on the side of the picture above.
I thought the most interesting thing about the tour were the posters on the side of the old walkways that took passengers from one part of the old station to another. This area was blocked off in April 1962 and so the posters all look back to this date.
When we left from the tour, about 12:45, we walked round the corner to Drummond Street and on the way passed the entrance to one of the old entrances to Euston Underground Station.
This entrance is currently used as a ventilation point for the tube below. It will shortly be demolished as part of the expansion of Euston for HS2.
We walked onto Drummond Street and had lunch at the Indian vegetarian restaurant Chutneys. They had a buffet which was very pleasant. That means I have had three vegetarian Indians in a row.
This area of London is where Harry spent his early childhood. He used to spend his free time wandering the streets and getting into trouble as kids do. When we left Chutney’s he took me around some of the streets and talked me through how they have changed since he was a nipper in the 50’s.
I left him around 2 pm he had do help Sophie out with her new twins as her husband has gone back to work.
I then had a call from Maggi to say that she has gone into Northwick Park for her second dose of Methatraxate chemo. I dropped into Warterstone’s bookshop just behind Gower Street and bought a couple of books and then walked back to Great Portland Street and jumped on the Met Line to join Maggi at the hospital. She was already tied up to the drip to make sure she had enough fluid in her. after a couple of hours I came away and back home.