Charles Holden (1875-1960)
Charles Holden was born on 12th May 1875 in Great Lever, a suburb of Bolton. He began working as an assistant to a surveyor, and eventually became an apprentice to a Manchester architect. Holden moved to London to work for architect C.R. Ashbee, before moving on to work with H. Percy Adams. Between the turn of the century and the 1920’s, Holden designed a variety of buildings, including hospitals, libraries, schools and houses. After World War I, Holden worked for the Imperial War Graves Commission, designing cemeteries and memorials for those who died in the war.
In 1915, Holden became acquainted with Frank Pick, who was then the commercial manager of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, the forerunner of London Underground. Holden designed eight stations for what is now the southern end of the Northern Line from 1925. In 1930, Holden and Pick took a tour of the new modernist architecture of Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, visiting buildings by the likes of Willem Dudok, with whom Pick was particularly taken. The buildings they saw eschewed decoration and concentrated on letting the function of the building guide its form. Pick and Holden were also impressed by the illumination of buildings at night, something they replicated on many underground stations.
From 1930 onwards Holden revolutionized design on the underground network, bringing in a new eye catching, modernist influenced look, that took in everything from station design to advertising posters to platform lighting. The stations acted as adverts for the underground network, communicating modernity, speed and ease of use. Alongside his underground work, Holden spent the 1930s designing a large project for the University of London in Bloomsbury. The Grade II* listed Senate house and Library are the only completed part of the project. Holden retired in 1958, passing away two years later. He twice turned down a knighthood, something he considered at odds with his Quaker influenced beliefs.
Featured Buildings: Acton Town, Alperton, Arnos Grove, Arsenal, Balham, Boston Manor, Chiswick Park, Clapham South, Cockfosters, Colliers Wood, Ealing Common, Eastcote, East Finchley, Gants Hill, Hounslow West, Manor House, Morden, Northfields, Oakwood, Osterley, Public Shelter, Redbridge, Ruislip Manor, Southgate, South Harrow, South Wimbledon, Sudbury Hill, Sudbury Town, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Turnpike Lane, Uxbridge, Wanstead, West Kensington, Wood Green.
See Also- Piccadilly Line Stations
In 1915, Holden became acquainted with Frank Pick, who was then the commercial manager of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, the forerunner of London Underground. Holden designed eight stations for what is now the southern end of the Northern Line from 1925. In 1930, Holden and Pick took a tour of the new modernist architecture of Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, visiting buildings by the likes of Willem Dudok, with whom Pick was particularly taken. The buildings they saw eschewed decoration and concentrated on letting the function of the building guide its form. Pick and Holden were also impressed by the illumination of buildings at night, something they replicated on many underground stations.
From 1930 onwards Holden revolutionized design on the underground network, bringing in a new eye catching, modernist influenced look, that took in everything from station design to advertising posters to platform lighting. The stations acted as adverts for the underground network, communicating modernity, speed and ease of use. Alongside his underground work, Holden spent the 1930s designing a large project for the University of London in Bloomsbury. The Grade II* listed Senate house and Library are the only completed part of the project. Holden retired in 1958, passing away two years later. He twice turned down a knighthood, something he considered at odds with his Quaker influenced beliefs.
Featured Buildings: Acton Town, Alperton, Arnos Grove, Arsenal, Balham, Boston Manor, Chiswick Park, Clapham South, Cockfosters, Colliers Wood, Ealing Common, Eastcote, East Finchley, Gants Hill, Hounslow West, Manor House, Morden, Northfields, Oakwood, Osterley, Public Shelter, Redbridge, Ruislip Manor, Southgate, South Harrow, South Wimbledon, Sudbury Hill, Sudbury Town, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Turnpike Lane, Uxbridge, Wanstead, West Kensington, Wood Green.
See Also- Piccadilly Line Stations