LU Staff Canteens pre 1997 - Please Post Memories

OK - the best was the old power house canteen at Neasden. Everything smelt of coal dust but they did a really good breakfast. Then there were the bus canteens, Baker Street and Wood Green were two I remember. Wood green was small but they did good cooking.

And yes, we did brew up. The driver would make the tea at Arsenal in the little room at the east end of the EB platform. Between there and Finsbury Park, he would mix up the tea and milk and divide it into two cans. At FPk, he would stop short at the guard's position to place the tea can on the platform. He would then draw up to get the whole train in the station and the guard would open his door to find his tea waiting for him.

There was a similar process at Mansion Hse and Tower Hill EB. Circle guards would usually get their cans at Aldgate.

The Arsenal facility was withdrawn after an occasion when a driver dashed into the room to make tea one afternoon and interrupted the station foreman and a lady ticket collector "in flagrante" on the mess room table. He did say "Excuse me" while he filled his can but the couple were not best pleased at the interruption. Unfortunately, the "service" was never resumed. Mmm.

Just so long as said can wasn't placed on the slope section of the platform...!

Hmm, poky mess rooms!!!!!

I work on the JLE, go through Canary Wharf, lovely station, go to the staff accommodation!

At my station, more than two people in the mess room, and you start struggling to breathe.

I like this thread, very nostalgic, must be lots of stories out there, come on people!

at amersham cabin one of the plates we have in our mess room is a griffin lt plate, its from c. 1978 and was born in 1980! i had my lunch of it today which felt kinda sacrilgious, anyhoo i'll take a pic and try and upload it if theres any interest here.

although not a member of staff ive seen the one at turnham green because of my dad and you cant even call it a proper canteen, just a microwave and a kettle!

Wasn't there an excellent Bus Canteen at Acton Town that the Underground people used to use as well?

Bus canteens were the best, Shepherd's Bush garage / High Barnet come to mind Camden Town was full of mice, even the little side room that had the gas cooker in a family of mice moved in and claimed squatters rights for a while. Acton Town after they refurbed in the 70's ceiling was shaped like a tunnel the carpet had lines on and yes they ran in the direction of the ceiling, with Dis & Pic sitting on opposite sides only allowed to share if invited or playing cards the Depot crews sat where ever they were clssed as Dis though. Wembley Park anyone older enough remember the mad german women she chased a driver once with a very large knife.

Loughton bus garage lasted till 1986 (when London Buses lost the 20/167 and other routes in the area). The garage came down / flats went up around 1990...

Upton Park Garage had an excellent canteen when I worked there (96 - 98 IIRC) - the current LUL canteens that I have been in are not a patch on it ;D ;D ;D

Can anyone remember specific canteen Menu options and Prices and approximate dates, please, here? For example, did you get your "main meal" of the day at a canteen because of your shift pattern, what it was, choice of courses, and what it cost you? Also, just a tea or snack, what it comprised and what it cost in roughly what year, please?

I remember eating in the canteen at Loughton when I was stationed there and drinking in the social club until youths burnt it down. The good old days when you could buy 'Griffin' food to take home for Mum to cook.

I've just found this thread as I begin to look back and see what I missed before I joined !

From my time with LT I would say this;

Best canteen on the combine was Alperton Bus garage, nice ambience and a proper full English brekky and plenty of seats and prompt service early in the morning!
Best canteen at night was Liverpool St. bus canteen built in the old Queen Victoria tunnel. Egg teacake or beans on toast with fried eggs on top served by Mabel was first rate and filling.
St.James Park aka 55, Broadway old canteen was popular but there were too many guvs about, however, when I could I used to enjoy lunch there and a pint or two in the bar afterwards!
Earls Ct canteen was the first I ever encountered and one cooked meal there was enough to convince me to find a better eating house! Dominoes and gambling there went on 24/7 and I've known workmates to get paid at the pay point on a Thursday morning following night shift and play poker there until it was time to start the next shift and sometimes not going home for 72 hours or more!
Baker Street was another popular canteen for gambling at night, many good games of poker were had there in the late 70s. As for the food it was variable but I spent more than a year working out of Baker St. so I eat a lot of canteen food there.
Paddington Telstar House canteen was not bad but too busy at lunchtime so the choice was usually liquid lunch in the associated bar!
Another office canteen which wasn't bad was Neuman St. near Tottenham Ct. Road where the LT computer centre used to be and another where I enjoyed the cuisine was the old LT Electrical offices at 15/17 Long Acre near Leicester Square both long gone now.
Leytonstone was popular with engineering staff for brekky but it was far too busy and the seating was cramped.
Oakwood depot with its enamelled tables was rough and basic, I remember the grease!
Riverside bus canteen was good for brekky. Wood Green bus canteen was fine too but the underground canteen above the station did nice rolls for breakfast and also supplied the mini canteen at Arnos Grove. It was located on the left of the station entrance and comprised tea and coffee urns and prepacked rolls. There were a couple of chairs as I recall.
Ashfield House at Lillie Bridge was okay as was Acton training school canteen. I was never keen on Acton staff canteen mostly because of all the train crew and especially their silly rivalry i.e. District v Picc! It is the only part of the Acton Town complex that is a District asset!
I never liked Neasden canteen and the Northfields is no better than Lillie Bridge depot canteen, just machines.
Barking was pleasant enough especially at weekends. I found Camden Town was okay for breakfast but Archway was a better canteen all round.
The various canteens at Acton Works over the years were never my cup of tea!
Of course in my last days on the job it was the machines at Ash House and Bollo House although Ash House was getting a proper canteen again as I recall but I never had a chance to see it.

I have to say that Griffin was good, I liked the LT Bakery products especially the big Griffin biscuits and the large teacakes and Griffin teabags made good tea.
When Liverpool St. canteen went I mourned its passing, I was a regular there for the couple of years I worked out of Whitechapel depot in the 70s.

Brian

I gathered from pals that there was a bus canteen at Acton Town, which they preferred?

When I first started at LTE there was such a thing as 'idle time' so we spent hours twiddling our thumbs at Whitechapel depot. To relieve the boredom we used to catch a bus to Hackney (Wells St.) garage for a game of snooker but the bus crews were not happy at outsiders using their table!

Brian