UNDERGROUND, OVERGROUND

Copyright © Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2015

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Emily Kearns has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Condition of Sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Summersdale Publishers Ltd
46 West Street
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1RP
UK

www.summersdale.com

Printed and bound in the Czech Republic

eISBN: 978-1-78372-623-3

CONTENTS

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Cover

Title Page

Copyright

 

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Hackney Carriages

Chapter 2 – Buses

Chapter 3 – The Underground

Chapter 4 – Docklands Light Railway and Overground

Chapter 5 – Trams and Trolleybuses

Chapter 6 – On the Ground, in the Water

Chapter 7 – More Than Just a Transport Network

Chapter 8 – London Transport in Popular Culture

Epilogue – The Future

INTRODUCTION

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“From the top of the bus she could see the vast bowl of London spreading out to the horizon.”

Julia Gregson

London transport has long been a fascination of many. People are drawn to it for its vehicles, its history, and its power and speed. The sheer scale of its intricate and complicated networks, the role it played in times of conflict and distress, and the way the growth of Greater London came about via its transport links are all topics of great interest.

When I was a child, growing up on the outskirts of London, the transport system offered a direct route to some of the best museums in the world – the brown and orange squares on the seats of the District line trains are forever etched on my memory – not to mention Hamleys. London was intriguing – busy, loud, colourful – and as a teenager, the trains, Tubes and buses offered an escape from the suburbs and to the excitement of Oxford Street, Kensington Market, Camden Town and live music venues too numerous to mention. The Tube map wasn’t just a travel aid, but offered endless possibilities in the shape of unexplored territory, each stop offering something new – whether it was worth looking at or not. Even as a fully-fledged grown-up, I find myself on occasion poring over Harry Beck’s creation, wondering what might be found at this stop or that. This amazing map only echoes the merits of a city that is undeniably diverse and filled with possibility, and its various transport networks certainly helped to make it so.

In the beginning

Early forms of public transport in London were generally confined to the wealthy, with hackney carriages as early as the 1600s commanding a price that few could afford. Little changed over the centuries, as the introduction of horse-drawn omnibuses for those commuting to the Square Mile was considered a luxury for the rich. Having said that, considering the size of London in around 1800 – one only had to walk for 30 minutes in any direction to reach open fields – most people chose to walk anyway.

As the city began to grow, the need for transport for all Londoners increased. With their ability to carry twice as many passengers as omnibuses, trams could offer cheaper fares, and the original premise of the Tube was to offer a form of public transport that all classes could afford.

In this book, you’ll tour the evolution of London’s transport: from the Woolwich Ferry in the fourteenth century, the very earliest mode of public transport in London, to ‘driverless’ trains and cable cars – just a glimpse of what the future holds. You will be taken on a journey via London’s tunnels, roads and river to discover how its transport network contributed to the makings of this world-famous city.