Harold Stabler's Decorative Tiles on the London Underground

Hertfordshire.

Every station on the London Underground may appear to have a uniform style, internally, but, depending on when the station was built, it will have its own aesthetic. Exteriors, again, depend on the architect, the year it was opened and its location.

Baker Street, for instance, has tiles carrying the profile of Sherlock Holmes.

However, unique to five underground stations are relief tiles that are randomly placed, not all at eye level, depicting coats of arms, animals, buildings and even a portrait. The tiles are the same colour as the surrounding tiles, so as not to break up the uniformity of the style, but, once you spot them you can't stop looking for them.

Thomas Lord (1755-1832), English cricketer.

There are eighteen distinct tiles, spread across five underground stations. Although some have been repaired or replaced, the originals are easy to spot as they are usually marked with Stabler's signature 'S', somewhere on the tile.

St Paul's Cathedral.

Harold Stabler (1872-1945)

Harold Stabler was a jeweller, potter, precious metals artist, sculptor and teacher. He was a close associate of Frank Pick and designed the first official seal for the Passenger Transport Board, of which Frank Pick was Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman from its inception in 1933.

Frank Pick commissioned Harold Stabler to design bespoke tiles to be used across five London Underground stations: Aldgate East, Bethnal Green, St John's Wood, St Paul's, Swiss Cottage.

The brief was to create tiles that depicted London's landmarks and the counties which were served by the Underground system. Harold produced seventeen of these tiles, to the brief, while the eighteenth one was a portrait of Thomas Lord, which can be found at St John's Wood station.

Essex.

So, the next time you arrive at one of these five stations see how many of these ceramic tiles you can spot.

The tiles depict:

Buildings: 

• 55 Broadway (HQ of London Underground)
• Crystal Palace
• Palace of Westminster
• St Paul's Cathedral

Counties:

• Bedfordshire (bird of prey)
• Berkshire (five maidens)
• Buckinghamshire (swan)
• City of Westminster (five birds with two pairs of parallel lines)
• County of London (lion in a cross above water)
• Essex (three seaxes)
• Hertfordshire (stag), 
• Kent (rearing horse)
• Middlesex (Saxon crown above three seaxes)
• Surrey (crown above oak leaves)

Emblems: 

• London Transport (griffin), 
• London Transport (roundel)
• River Thames (five birds above waves)

Portrait: 

• Thomas Lord