Mind the Gap - The story of Embankment station's announcement

When I volunteer at the Museum, many people will recognise me because of my wheelchair and collection of badges. Take a closer look at my cap, and you will see the words Mind the Gap embroidered on it. In the Museum’s shop, you will see a vast array of merchandise displaying the same three words.

So, what’s the attraction of this phrase? A first-time visitor of London might ask. Londoners and regular visitors will know exactly what it is - the safety warning heard at London Underground stations encouraging passengers to mind the gap between the train and the platform edge. However, the dulcet tones of the safety announcement at Embankment station have a very special story. Let me explain:

The Mind the Gap announcement was first heard in 1969 and was recorded by Sound Engineer Peter Lodge. Peter originally hired an actor to voice the recording, but royalties were expected, and as the announcement would be played thousands of times a day, this simply was not financially viable. Subsequently, Peter made the recordings himself until someone more suited could be found.

Over the years, the message has been recorded by many people, however, here we want to talk of the one voiced by the actor Oswald Laurence, who made the recordings for the Northern line in the late 1960s/ early 1970s (the exact dates are unknown).

Oswald Laurence was born on 25 March 1929 in Hamburg, Germany. He was a theatre actor and lived in London with his wife, Dr Margaret McCollum, until his death in 2007 at the age of 78.

Margaret was devastated at the loss of her husband, but one place where she could relive the happy memories was on the platform at Embankment station, where she would sit and listen to Oswald’s voice. One day in November 2012, she made her regular visit to the platform only to find her husband was no longer there as the PA system had been updated. Deeply saddened by what had happened, Margaret was comforted by station staff, who were unaware of the value the previous recording held for her.

As the PA system had now been digitalized, it seemed an almost impossible ask to retrieve the tapes and reinstate the announcement with Oswald’s voice. However, Transport for London staff delved deep into the archives and found the old tapes, which were digitalized and restored.

This story therefore has a happy ending, because if you ever visit the Northbound platform of the Northern line at Embankment station, the voice of Oswald Laurence lives on to the present day. What to many may seem just a regular safety announcement, the Mind the Gap message brings much happiness to one special person. 

Hear Oswald’s Mind the Gap announcement in this clip from Series 1 of Secrets of the London Underground.