London Underground History 150 Years Old

From UK Telegraph

First, just a reminder to stop in at my Valentine's Homemade Soap Sachet Giveaway. Don't miss out!

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Now, on to the London Underground birthday party:

Excerpts from TFL.gov.uk:

'London Underground was formed in 1985, but its history dates back to 1863 when the world's first underground railway opened. 

'Today, London Underground is a major business with three million passenger journeys made every day, serving 275 stations and over 408 km of railway.

 The Tube - somewhere in London

'London has changed a lot since the first stretch of line - the Metropolitan, or Met - opened on 9 January 1863. The first stretch measured six kilometres (nearly four miles) and ran between Paddington (Bishop's Road) and Farringdon Street.

'To build the Met, streets along the route were dug up, tracks laid in a trench, covered with a brick-lined tunnel and the road surface replaced. Known as the 'cut and cover' method, this was quick and effective, but created as many problems as it was designed to solve. It caused congestion during construction and it was abandoned towards the end of the 19th century. By then, however, the Metropolitan was a success, stretching ever further across Middlesex, through Hertfordshire and into Buckinghamshire.

'Other companies were keen to get involved and by Christmas 1868, the Metropolitan District had opened a line between Westminster and South Kensington.

'This linked to a branch line from the original Met and some eastward extensions. These railways completed today's Circle line by 1884.'

Tube Station Sign at Westminster 

From lookandlearn.com

'Property-owners thought their buildings would fall as a result of all the excavations taking place. In fact, some of these fears may not have been groundless, for many buildings had to be shored up with timber while the work was in progress.

'Anyone visiting London during 1861 could well see the reason for people’s concern. In the vicinity of King’s Cross, gangs of workmen were furiously digging up the streets. Great yawning holes marked where the road had once been, leaving only a small area over which carriages and pedestrians had to make their way as best they could.

'Some parts of the road were closed completely to allow the men to dig their holes. Once the holes were completed, with the mud piles high on either side, much to the annoyance of pedestrians, the men started shoring the sides of the hole. Then the upper part of the holes was enclosed in a brick arch. Once this was completed, the earth was replaced over the work, the surplus earth carted away, and the road relaid so that everything looked as it had before. But there was one main difference. Eighteen metres below the new road surface lay a long tunnel that stretched between Paddington and Farringdon Street, a distance of about six kilometres.

Tottenham Court Road Tube Station
Cool, huh!

'The person chiefly responsible for this undertaking was Charles Pearson, a city solicitor. Since 1843, he had been suggesting that London should have an underground railway system. He suggested that a trial section should be constructed along the valley of the River Fleet, which had been arched over and converted into a sewer. It would use trains powered by atmospheric pressure. In spite of Pearson’s pleas the plan was never followed up, but he continued to campaign for this new form of transport.

'The idea was not, however, entirely new; for what can possibly be regarded as the first underground railway was started in 1770 at East Kenton Colliery near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The railway, used to carry coal trucks on simple wooden tracks, consisted of a single tunnel, which can lay claim to being the first railway tunnel.'

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And here's a great slide show about the history of the London Underground from the UK Telegraph that you won't want to miss. (Well, at least I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.)

Happy Birthday, London Underground! 

My favorite

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This post is linked to Photo Friday

Have a great weekend, everyone! The winner of the Giveaway will be announced Monday on Cranberry Morning.