63. The views from West Harrow

Slip away from London as dusk nears and head westwards towards Metro-land. Ride the train towards Uxbridge and you’ll see how once more the Underground offers some of its most tranquil sensations when it has shaken free of its titular lair. The line rises high above street level, poking its nose over rooftops and chimneys and the tallest of trees. Step off at West Harrow and you’ll find views worth lingering on the platform for.

The station building itself can’t really hold a candle to these provincial panoramas. It selflessly defers to its surroundings, helpfully distracting you from its less than notable design – only to try and redeem itself by co-opting the sunset into a kind of backcloth against which to display its tiny wares, like a thimble salesman setting up pitch in front of Westminster Abbey.

I suppose there are worse examples of less used and even lesser loved out-of-town stations. But there aren’t many better examples of ones that make up for their deficiencies on the ground with such breathtaking sideshows in the sky.