We are used to seeing art at some of London Underground’s stations, particularly Gloucester Road Underground Station where the brick alcoves of the disused Circle/District Line platform house a changing programme of art displays as part of the “Art on the Underground” initiative, the current display being An English Landscape (American Surveillance Base near Harrogate, Yorkshire) by the American artist Trevor Paglen.

London’s latest art gallery is the brutalist concrete and steel interior of Westminster Underground Station where large scale photographs by 24 leading photographers have been housed on display in the monumental alcoves as part of the ‘Free the Night’ exhibition, to celebrate the fact that it is six months before London Underground services with a 24 hours timetable.

This innovative display, delivered in partnership with Annin Arts Gallery, celebrates London’s rich variety of night-time activities and the role of the underground and its staff to help travellers to their events and then home again.

The works include an image of Paul McCartney taken by Linda McCartney in 1969, a 1920s ballroom dance by Sir Cecil Beaton, Bruce Springsteen outside Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 by Chalkie Davies, Bob Mazzer’s witty photograph of “Clockwell” in the 1980’s, a photograph of a Tube worker on his way home taken by Rankin in 1989 and, right up to date, Alice Rainis’ photograph “Divino” and Nastasia’s photograph of a solitary passenger waiting for a train “Transit” (both 2015).  The photographs that work best in the setting of the powerful architecture of the station are those in black and white or with limited and muted colours.

Apparently, installing the art was quite a tricky operation, involving absailers working during the night.

Is this the start of a new photographic programme at Westminster Underground Station?  – Let’s hope so.