The London Underground station which was bizarrely based on a library in Sweden

View of main elevation showing circular drum of Arnos Grove Underground Station
-Credit: (Image: Grant Smith/View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)


Many London Underground stations have brilliant stories behind them. Some are quirky shapes, some have spooky tales, while others are based on magnificent buildings elsewhere.

Take Arnos Grove for example, it sits on the northern end of the Piccadilly line between Southgate and Bounds Green. The station is a Grade II listed building, meaning it’s subject to regulations which protect its historical and architectural significance having opened in 1932

It’s found on busy A road Bowes Road, serving a fairly remarkable residential area. Interestingly, it is the first surface station after the long tunnel section which starts east of Barons Court, passing through Central London.

READ MORE: The parts of the London Underground that actually go way beyond the M25

Stockholm Public Library
The resemblance between the Stockholm Public Library and Arnos Grove Station is uncanny -Credit:Getty

The station and surrounding neighbourhood get the name from the Arnos Grove estate, which was to the north of the station, but more interestingly, the station is part of the Arnos Grove group of stations.

This consists of all seven stations from Cockfosters to Turnpike Lane. But it's Arnos Grove that truly stands proud, frequently named one of the prettiest stations on the whole network, alongside the likes of Gant's Hill in East London.

But the station hasn’t been without its issues over the years.

Train services between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove were disrupted until between July and August 2005, after the 7/7 bombings.

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