Sudbury Town Underground Station

The first of Charles Holden's tube stations for Frank Pick was Sudbury Town, opened on 19 July 1931. The 1930-5 Piccadilly Line extension both north and west, gave Pick and Holden the chance to develop a new type of station. Aiming for a striking and inviting modern appearance, they adapted for English surroundings simple, geometric styles and exposed brickwork they saw on the Continent. This led to their 'classic' style of Underground architecture, using clean, simple forms - cylinders, curves, rectangles - often decorating the interiors with brightly coloured tiles. All parts of a building were to be harmonious, all aspects integrated into the design. This included interior and exterior lighting, platform seats, clocks, kiosks, ticket machines, even litter bins. There had been nothing like this distinctly modern yet well-crafted building in Britain before. With typical modesty, Holden chose to describe his first modern masterpiece as "a brick box with a concrete lid".

At least 17 other similar stations soon followed. A number of them - including Enfield West (now Oakwood), Southgate, Arnos Grove and the original Sudbury Town - were in 1971 designated as of "special architectural interest", as was the 55 Broadway headquarters building.