Lit passageway between Essex Road and Old Street

[announcements]

Every time I travel southbound from Essex Road and Old Street, I can't help but notice a little lit passageway equidistant between the stations on the left in direction of travel.

Does anyone know what this is?

The trains typically travel quite slow but even so, it's really difficult to get a glimpse of what it might be. It could be an electrical substation but I wonder why it is permanently lit (and quite well, I hasten to add). Or is it an emergency stairs and if so where does it come out to?

A bit of a "Hidden London" moment!

 

[Chris125]

Poole Street. Emergency access which once connected with the power station that powered the line.

It features at 15:40 in this safety video:

 

[swt_passenger]

If this link to Google Streetview works you can see the surface level doors on the south side of the Regents Canal: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rFYkEXsQqEzRRxhz7

 

[announcements]

Thank you very much, upon searching on Google there is very limited information about it. Interesting to see it featured in the training video.

 

[Clarence Yard]

There is quite a lot of history on the web, if you know where to look.

After the building above ground finished being a sub station (over 100 years ago), it was used as a film studio eventually being bought by Gainsborough Studios. Many famous directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, worked there.

It closed as a film studio after WW2 and it was then used as a warehouse. When I knew it in the 1970’s/1980’s, it was known as Kelaty’s warehouse, after the firm that used it.

The reason I knew it was because it was the access point, for maintenance purposes, to go down to the pumps at Poole Street. These keep the Northern City Line dry.

 

[announcements]

Thanks, but very little information about what it actually looks like. It sounds like there could be more down there than just a staircase? Pumping room and perhaps more disused space where the generator equipment would have once been?

 

[GraphitProjekt]

In terms of equipment at the Poole Street access, it's very relevant to the electrification of the line as is being talked about on another thread.