back to article Google's Street View cars venture inside TARDIS

Dr Who fans the world over know that one of the few surviving Police Boxes on which the TARDIS is modelled can be found outside the entrance to Earl's Court tube station. Google seems to know this too and has created a lovely Easter Egg for Doctor Who fans on its Street View mapping service. The fun starts if you visit this …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Like it

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    cool

    that was fun, but I couldn't figure out how to get to the upper level.

    1. Oliver Mayes

      Re: cool

      Just navigate to the stairs and go up.

  3. John Tserkezis

    Broken for me.

    There are no double arrows, only the single multi-direction arrows that moves your position.

    However, the fault has been reported, and Tardis services will hopefully resume shortly.

    Unless we will never get that in Australia because of GeoLocation limitations, the utter bastards.

    1. GregC
      Unhappy

      Re: Broken for me.

      Using the new maps beta by any chance? I am, and it's broken for me too.

    2. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: Broken for me.

      Seems to depend on which link you follow or it's time dependent. The El reg link worked for me, others I followed on t'web did not. Is there a chap standing by the lamp post? If so; no double arrows, if not they do appear. YMMV.

      Some parallel universe joke perhaps?

    3. John Tserkezis

      Re: Broken for me. - but wait, there's more.

      However, the fault has been reported, and Tardis services will hopefully resume shortly.

      As above, a bit tounge in cheekly, I submitted a fault to google about not finding the arrows.

      To date, there have been four (so far) identical auto-replies within a 24 hour period, stating my request did not qualify for image blurs or removals.

      I already knew that, and I got the hint after the first - I wasn't entirely serious either way.

      Either way, the Tardis won't be coming anywhere round here anytime soon.

  4. MrT

    That'll explain it...

    I haven't seen a StreetView car in a while - they must all be in there somewhere...

  5. Roger Greenwood

    Almondbury has one as well - older model.

    https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/43802451

    No inside views sadly.

  6. Dieter Haussmann

    Seems to have been pulled now.

  7. Dieter Haussmann

    My streetview of this scene is on a different day...

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/i3u0dogj5dp3n4a/policebox.png

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Love the security!

    Namely the use of a night latch to 'lock' the door.

  9. Forget It

    Now, how does a timelord just deal with the spooks?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pulled

    Looks like this was pulled.

    Note to author this was taken by a Google Business Photographer not Google, and certainly not a Google Street View Car.

    We had the same idea but were warned it'll have been pulled because it's not a "true representation".

    Anon, because of all that NDA gubbins we have to sign!

    1. Morphius

      Re: Pulled

      Odd, still works for me!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Pulled

        Works if using original Google Maps (you have to switch back "permanently" to old Google Maps if using new version) to see it

        1. Jedit Silver badge

          "Works if using original Google Maps"

          Doesn't seem to work in Firefox. I tried last night, no double-arrow anywhere to be found. Works fine today in IE8, though. Did someone mention a time lock?

          1. YP

            Re: "Works if using original Google Maps"

            Works for me in FF. I just followed the link and voila :-)

  11. MJI Silver badge
    Unhappy

    It's gone

    ..........random letters

  12. XcOM

    Seems to be working for me, I hope they expand it to the rest of the tardis but this would be hard as its ever changing and can go on forever, would be nice if you could visit the eye of the tardis

  13. Duncan Watts

    If you're using the beta google maps....

    Just click on the link, then press the up button, lets you straight in :)

    1. GregC
      Thumb Up

      Re: If you're using the beta google maps....

      Thanks muchly. Have an upward thumb for your troubles :)

  14. Candy

    Marvellous.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Anomolous Astra Appearances?

    Crumbs.

    What you are saying is that Orwellian Opels are making their way across SpaceTime?

    Can we expect to see one appear on the Bayeux Tapestry?

    Or will the Mars Rover unearth an ancient abandoned example on Mars?

    Is this how the phrase "Ad Astra" got its origin?

    1. I like noodles

      Re: Anomolous Astra Appearances?

      Have you been taken over by amanfrommars?

  16. Robert E A Harvey

    "when they might appear online. "

    last year, obviously.

  17. Z-Eden

    Google Earth? Google Gallifrey surely!

  18. ardubbleyu
    Go

    This is not actually a 'surviving' police box, it's a modern repro, built in partnership between the local authority and the Met Police. It did used to have a working phone in it - not sure if it still works...

  19. Zimmer
    Coat

    Needs more work...

    How about.. click on the controls and the 'Tardis' takes you to a random spot in the world and you can leave the Tardis there for another 'lucky' punter to find?

    (It's the coat with the woolly scarf and the brown fedora, thanks. Have a Jelly Baby!)

    1. Michael Habel

      Re: Needs more work...

      Thank heavens someone with enough sense to actually pick a good Doctor, and not just teh ZMOG ITS Tennent.

    2. Velv
      Happy

      Re: Needs more work...

      I don't care which Doctor you make me as long as I have Amy Pond with me.

  20. Dave Bell

    Warning

    I would not want to annoy Rory

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    just shows how smart the Dr. is.........

    Pub, Gregs, Pret a Manger, post office and the tube all within easy walking distance.

  22. amanfromearth

    Google maps is junk

    Its become crawlingly slow of late, and totally unusable from here (france)

  23. FrancisT

    Fun fact. Doesn't work with the new "preview" version of maps - https://www.google.com/maps/preview - which turns out to also have a different image of the spot - there's a guy standing by the lampost in the new one that isn't in the standard version

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Doctor is watching!

    This particular box was built at London Transports' Lilly Bridge depot. It is mainly constructed from Iroko wood so it doesn't burn easily! We got the plans for it from the Victoria & Albert Museum. The whole thing cost about £35,000 to build. You can get a better view here

    http://www.networkpanda.com/ngis/2012/03/real-life-tardis-police-box-outside-earls-court-station-in-london/

    If you look carefully at the 'blue light', that is the image capture end of the CCTV camera in the box. Now long dead, a vertically mounted Baxall Spyhawk camera viewed images in a rotating mirror hidden in the fake blue light (a bit like a periscope). The only problem was, it produced an inverted image which had to be converted with mid 90's era software and Pentium II era hardware. Whenever any attempts were made to connect it to the local public CCTV network, it crashed the whole thing, so it was left to record locally on a VCR inside the Tardis. The only useful thing about the box was the kettle point inside for making tea. In place of the public phone, there was a call-point on the side of the box which connected to the local police station.

    AC for obvious reasons.

  25. Neil McAllister

    I use the new Maps and was able to see it by clicking the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner and selecting "Classic Maps." The switch doesn't seem to be permanent.

  26. Incognitas

    It would not work in FF but it did in Chrome.There was a bit of paper getting in the way in FF.

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