Mural
The mural at Blackhorse Road (Hans Unger) depicts a Black Horse. This is a little ironic as the original name of the road was Black House (named for a nearby dwelling) and somehow it got changed to Black Horse later.
Blackhorse Road Station has the most substantial surface station building on the whole of the Victoria line. As most of the other stations were interchanges with the existing British Rail or Underground lines, their station entrances were limited to new staircases and the majority of the new construction was below the surface.
Blackhorse Road was designed to replace rather than connect with the nearby British Rail Station, which was due to close back in 1968, and so it got its own building. The older station never did close and so Blackhorse Road became an interchange instead.
The building was designed by Kenneth Seymour (chief architect at LT at the time and responsible for the design of the whole line) and is in the modernist style favoured in the 1960s and 70s. It has not stood the test of time well and compares poorly with many of the pre-war Charles Holden designs on the Piccadilly line. There is a rather nice mosaic of a black horse on the exterior wall though.
A Victorian Resevoir
Walking just a few hundred yards to the west we come to Low Maynard Reservoir constructed by the East London Waterworks Company in the middle of the 19th Century. It is part of a chain of several reservoirs in the Lea valley that supply drinking water to London. The area on former marshland is the largest urban wetland in Europe. A walk around the reservoir is recommended.
A Pub
The Lord Palmerston (Forest Road)
Named for one of Victoria’s first prime ministers, the Lord Palmerston is a typical large Victorian corner pub. It retains many of its original architectural features and is divided into several sections including a pleasing public bar. There are the usual TV screens everywhere, but the beer is cheap and the food is quite decent.
Trains To Beyond 