A Quaker and the Underground
David Burnell looks at the contribution of Charles Holden to the design of London’s underground stations
The work of Charles Holden (1875-1960) is celebrated in an exhibition currently on show in the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) architectural gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Holden designed many of the underground stations built in the inter-war period and immediately afterwards and inspired the design of others. The exhibition is a mark of the growing stature and appreciation of this architect whose work, until recently, only received a low profile in architectural history. The publication in 2007 of a definitive biography by Eitan Karol, Charles Holden, has helped to put Holden firmly on the architectural map. More recently the Guardian included his masterpiece, Arnos Grove station, in a series of articles featuring the world’s ten best modern buildings.
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