Hammersmith station gets a colourful tribute for its 150th anniversary

Last week, Hammersmith tube station turned 150 years old, and to mark its sesquicentenary, the station has been given an artistic makeover.

Artist Dan Maier, who has recently worked on installations at Houslow West and Hatton Cross stations, was invited to create an artwork for Hammersmith station that reflects its 150 years of heritage.

The walkways have had a coloured pattern added to the 1980s glass bricks, turning them into a representation of a District line steam locomotive billowing out green and blue smoke — the colours of the two tube lines that call here.

The same blues and greens are dotted around the station, and the artist said that the combination with the yellows is a reminder of the sunlit fields that used to fill this part of London before the city expanded.

As an aside, to assist the installers, Dan created the pattern and included clear blanks where the glass blocks should be left clear to ensure the pattern was installed correctly. So, if you look very carefully, you can see that the clear glass blocks also have a transparent film added, just like the coloured blocks.

Sitting above the control room in the main ticket hall, a pattern of blues and greens is interrupted by circles—the famous circular symbol of the London Underground. Date stamps on either side remind us which anniversary is being celebrated.

Down on the platforms, the waiting rooms have been given some bunting, a mix of blues and greens, and although quite large as they’re up high, they can be quite easy to miss — which makes them fun to point out to people.

Finally, in recognition of the local printers and the arts and crafts designers, if you wander around, you’ll stumble upon a triptych — three windows with complimentary designs and a representation of a printer’s press in the middle.

Hammersmith can feel a bit complicated to navigate at times, so it’s nice that the artwork is scattered throughout the station, ensuring that no area is left out.

The art will be in situ for at least a year during the station’s 150th anniversary.

There is also a 150th-anniversary history display in the main ticket hall which was installed by the station staff.