Old spiral staircase under platforms 7 & 8 in March 2005. Jonathan Clark writes: : I really can't place the spiral staircase at all. The walls are plain, rather than glazed brick which could suggest that it was not intended as a public space. I can identify a rather large sliding metal gate behind the staircase in the open position, complete with the collapsible bar which would allow it to be secured. A rough guess would be that it is situated somewhere on the mezzanine level, probably on the subway between the landing halfway up the long stairs to Platform 9 and the bottom of the stairs to Platforms 7 & 8. The rather opaque accounts posted on the LNER forum suggest that there was a system of gates and doors within the tunnels, allowing various sections to be closed without shutting the Croft Lane subway which I suspect was a public Right of Way.
Photo by Mike Brady