“SHE ISN’T JUST IRRITATING, SHE DRIVES ME MAD.”
Born in Buckinghamshire, Angela came from a well-off family. Her father, Henry, was a marketing manager at Heinz. Her mother, Molly Packer, was a secretary.
She had one brother, called Michael. He was to become a stockbroker.
They were raised in Little Kimble, near the town of Aylesbury. Angela was sent to Chiltern School at Chesham Bois, followed by finishing school, where she was trained to be a secretary, with a particular emphasis on diction.
Upon leaving, Angela was drawn to the bright lights of London. She became a secretary at various recording studios. Her most regular workplace was the De Lane Lea Studio in Dean Street in Soho.
From there, Angela went to the IBC Recording Studio in Portland Place. There, she worked for The Beatles’ producer, Glyn Johns. She also did secretarial work for The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. Angela was used to rubbing shoulders with the stars.
Angela had an eloquent voice, so Johns put her on the other side of the microphone, doing voice overs in adverts.
At the beginning of the 1970s, Angela was recruited by British Rail as a station announcer.
She worked mainly in the south west region as well as the South and in London stations. Hers was the voice heard at the busy commuter station at Clapham Junction.
Soon afterwards, Angela met Fred Close, a wealthy American businessman and artist. They were married in the West End of London in 1976. The tabloid newspapers loved the story, finally revealing the face behind the voice. She briefly became a star.
Angela also gained two stepdaughters, Kate and Karen.
Hers is also the voice heard on the single ‘Sound of the Suburbs’ by The Members (1979). She says, “This is Staines, This is Staines.”
The band had taken a recording of her voice without permission. As all British Rail announcements were under copyright, The Members were forced to pay British Rail £5,000. They also paid Angela the same amount. Nevertheless, she thought the song was, “rather a catchy tune.”
In the 1980s, the station announcing system changed format, becoming a recorded system known as ‘Infomat’. Angela was chosen as the female voice. The male equivalent was Robert Lister (who had played Lewis Carmichael in the radio show The Archers). The public address systems in railway stations were often antiquated, so a clear voice was needed to be able to be heard by commuters.
They were recorded at very long sessions in Mitcham, south west London. It took years to complete. Angela covered London and the south east, Wales, the Midlands and her native Buckinghamshire.
She slightly changed her accent depending on which area she was recording for. Some stations made specific demands, such as London Bridge, the busiest station in the capital. It asked her to do it in a marching style, encouraging commuters to leave the platforms quicker.
The tape machines that the recordings were played on in the stations, became colloquially known as ‘Angelas’.
She even did the ‘Mind the Gap’ recording for the London Underground.
The actor Peter Cushing, hearing her voice at his local station of Bromley, started a campaign for Angela to be the announcer at every station in the country. He wrote a very nice letter to her, praising and thanking her.
Angela’s favourite announcement was for Epsom Station in Surrey. It went, “This is Epsom. This is Epsom. This is Epsom. All change. This is Epsom.”
However, it was also the most controversial of her voice recordings. Because of the layout of the station, her voice echoed throughout the surrounding streets. One row of houses faced Platform Four, where trains terminated, so her voice was heard most frequently there.
The locals grudgingly called Angela, ‘Her Ladyship’.
In 1986, local resident William Bowler, brought a private prosecution against British Rail under the Control of Pollution Act. His wife, Anita, told the Evening Standard, “She isn’t just irritating, she drives me mad. I often flee to the local library just to escape her voice.”
It led to a three-day court hearing before magistrates. Ultimately, they agreed with Bowler – “She has to go.”
The Chief Magistrate said Angela was to be replaced by, “A less penetrating voice – the voice of a man.” He also decreed there were to be less announcements at the station and none on a Sunday.
Angela appeared on a TV documentary about the case. “The court ban is a scream – and being dubbed ‘her ladyship’ as well – I think it’s all rather charming.”
She added, “This hasn’t put me off at all, but I do sympathise with the local people if they can hear me loudly and clearly all day.”
The presenter asked her how many other angry letters she had received. “No complaints from anywhere else, just stacks of fan mail.”
“I have had some lovely letters from people, most of whom say how nice it is to be able to hear information clearly.”
Angela was also occasionally interviewed on various other television programmes. One of these was London Plus, to discuss the Epsom case. Ironically, she missed the beginning of the programme as her train was late. When Angela finally got on screen, she charmed the viewers.
Angela was asked if she was upset by the court case. She told the audience that she wasn’t, as it was not personal. The Bowler family had contacted her to stress that their complaints were not about her in person. “They didn’t want anyone in their house all day long.”
The Epsom station announcements were re-recorded and Angela tried to soften her voice the second time around.
In the late 1980s, Angela and Fred emigrated to the USA and settled in Madison, Ohio. There, Fred became a full-time artist, specializing in large pieces of public art.
She was immediately replaced on station announcements by Julie Berry. However, British Rail didn’t stop using Angela’s voice entirely. You could still hear it on occasions, right into the first decade of the 2000s.
Angela never got Britain out of her blood. She was a frequent visitor, often without Fred, who remained at home, working.
She bought herself a picture book thatched cottage in Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, for her trips to England. Returning to her roots.
When Fred retired, the couple travelled the world. They were extremely philanthropic, donating money to many good causes. They were co-founders of the Madison Food Bank.
Fred died in 2018. Her brother, Michael, also predeceased her.
After Fred’s death, Angela spent even more time in the UK. However, she died in a care home in Geneva, Ohio.
Upon her death Angela was labelled, ‘The Golden Voice of British Rail’.
RIP – Railways’ Invisible Personality
