Michael Faraday Memorial
a mirrored box for the father of electricity
A gleaming stainless-steel box marooned in the traffic at Elephant and Castle, secretly a Tube substation honouring a great scientist.
Free to visit · Elephant & Castle · Elephant & Castle · SE1 6TE
Opening: Viewable any time
Marooned on a traffic island at Elephant and Castle stands a striking, windowless box clad in shining stainless steel, looking like a piece of pure abstract sculpture. It is in fact an electrical substation for the Underground, and it was deliberately designed as a memorial to Michael Faraday, the pioneering scientist of electricity and magnetism who was born nearby.
The architect Rodney Gordon created it in 1961, intending the mirrored cube to one day be lit from within. Faraday's discoveries made the very Tube it powers possible, so the tribute is perfectly fitting. It is free to see, a bold piece of Brutalist design hiding an everyday function in plain sight.
Getting there: On the traffic island at Elephant and Castle, by the station.
Best time to go: After dark, when the box can be lit and catches the city lights.
Insider tip: It is on a busy island, so view it from the surrounding pavements rather than crossing to it. The mirror-like steel is the point, designed to reflect the city, and it looks best lit up after dark.
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