Wood Lane “alight for exhibition”

[jimbo]

The Nov 2020 Underground News page 693 has an old photo of the station sign at Wood Lane, “alight for exhibition”. I wonder what exhibition! These platforms were built for the Ealing extension, construction of which commenced in 1912, but due to wartime disruptions opening was delayed until 1920. They were replaced by the current White City station, again delayed by wartime disruptions, and opened in 1947. They were therefore in use 1920 to 1947. The Wikipedia entry on the White City exhibition centre suggests that it fell into disuse with the First World War. So was the “alight for exhibition” sign outdated before the platforms opened, and remained on display throughout the life of these platforms?

[yerkes]

The station was built for the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908. The complex remained accessible as an exhibition centre until WW1, when it was taken over by the War Office, and after the war it fell into complete disuse until 1927. In that year the stadium was reopened for dog-track racing. In the meantime the Ealing extension had opened in 1920.

So, for the first 20 years or so, the notice about 'Alight for exhibition' referred to the White City exhibition complex. Once the stadium became the dominant feature of the area, an notice 'Alight for exhibition' was plated over with another sign reading 'For White City stadium' (I have a sign with this overplate).

Hope this is helpful.

[theblackferret]

At one point, immediately after WW1, there were plans to reuse the Anglo-French exhibition site for a Festival of Empire.

These, however, were shelved around 1920 or 1921, and the original Wembley exhibition centre & stadium built instead. That was because building a new centre etc rather than rearranging an existing one gave considerably more jobs, at a time when post-war trade depression was raging.

Shame they didn't go so far as to project the Central Line up there, though!

[jimbo]

Dec 12, 2020 16:52:28 GMT yerkes said:

The station was built for the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908. The complex remained accessible as an exhibition centre until WW1, when it was taken over by the War Office, and after the war it fell into complete disuse until 1927. In that year the stadium was reopened for dog-track racing. In the meantime the Ealing extension had opened in 1920.

So, for the first 20 years or so, the notice about 'Alight for exhibition' referred to the White City exhibition complex. Once the stadium became the dominant feature of the area, an notice 'Alight for exhibition' was plated over with another sign reading 'For White City stadium' (I have a sign with this overplate).

Hope this is helpful.

Closer inspection of the photo clearly shows that a much wider overplate has been removed, the four corner screw holes remaining. Also earlier black over-painting must have touched the overplate, the original sign's white background again revealed with the overplate removed. I had taken the Exhibition sign as the overplate on first inspection.