50 years ago, on the August Bank Holiday, a huge operation was carried out to open a big umbrella that later on became the Oxford Circus tube station. The umbrella took the entire bank holiday to open up. The device was not a delicate one, but neither was it a strong one. It was a structure of steel designed to sit on the top of Oxford Circus so that the road traffic could be handled while a new ticket hall was dug below. In the beginning there was a tube station at Oxford Circus that used to serve the Bakerloo and Central Lines. It was placed on the South-Eastern side. While there were preparations going on for the introduction of the Victoria Line, there was a need for a new ticket hall, and it was decided to put it right beneath Oxford Circus.
In only 65 hours, the builders had to close off the road junction and, in a way that would have a new contractor breath in horror, created a birdcage made up of 245 pieces of steel on the road almost entirely by hand, and then suspended it over the concrete roadway. The deck plates were adjusted on the concrete piles. The works had to be calculated not to obstruct the ticket hall works that were scheduled afterwards. You can see a nice video of this construction on the BBC website.
The work started at 1:30pm on the Saturday and was concluded at 12:15pm on the Monday. After they installed the road signs and the lights, the road traffic was re-started by 6:30am on the Tuesday. The umbrella was in one place and they could quarry out the soil below, and the pipes were diverted at the new ticket hall. The immense Marylebone Drain was moved to the north side of the ticket hall, to some extent via the basements of the buildings there. Some of the road was used at night for deliveries. There was also an extension to the umbrella eastwards during the August Bank Holiday of 1966 so as to allow tunnels to be burrowed connecting the new and old ticket halls. A definitive news clip of the elimination of the Umbrella after four years during the Easter weekend of 1968 can be seen on the BBC website. The new ticket hall was started on 29th September 1968, despite the fact that the Victoria Line did not stop there till the next March.
Oxford Circus was originally never considered as an exchange for the Victoria Line. It was very well known as “Route 8″ in 1946 .After some time it was known as Oxford Circus as it was believed that more passengers could be encouraged to make use of it beyond the rush-hour peaks. The selection of Oxford Circus station was drawn from a tender to build “Route 8C” with large tunnels as there was not enough space.
Oxford Street is one of the best shopping streets in the city and there are many good Oxford Circus Hotels offering you the best amenities and the best services, including the Marble Arch Hotel London. With a very reasonable pricing structure, you can get the best accommodation without making your pockets empty. If you want to shop till you drop then this is the hotel for you. As the hotel is located in the heart of Oxford Street, you’ll have maximum time for shopping. Oxford Street is an amazing place with huge varieties of clothes, shoes and accessories. You can pick from a wide range at affordable prices to find the latest fashions and the things you love.
The hotel is very well known for providing excellent service. The hotel staff will take care of you at all times so you can enjoy your holiday at your best. When you enter the hotel, you will love the great ambience and the hotel staff will welcome you with a warm heart. They will take your luggage to your room and then you can relax in your own personal heaven. You can watch TV or use the unlimited internet. You can take a rain shower bath and relax on the spacious beds. You can enjoy complimentary coffee with your daily newspaper. The hotel offers you a free breakfast every morning and you can also try other delicacies at the restaurant and bar. Take a soothing spa to get rid of the stress of the street, workout at the gym or enjoy swimming in the pool. The hotel is an all-inclusive one that can fulfill all your needs.
So if you want to enjoy your London tour then simply book your hotel room at one of the best Oxford Circus Hotels. The hotel offers many discounts and deals to help you save your money. You can see all the details and images of the hotel online. The hotel also offers you the best business facilities, with very spacious conference rooms where you can manage your events in a professional way. The conference rooms are equipped with state of the art devices to make your meeting successful, and event management is there to take care of the details. So what are you waiting for? Simply book the best hotel and enjoy.
+44(0) 7525 594 562
