Publisher's Synopsis
Between 1880 and 1965, developments in public transport transformed London's streets. London Transport, and the companies which preceded it, used photography to document the construction, maintenance and everyday life of what was to become the largest metropolitan transport system in the world. The result today is a fascinating record, made up of over 100,00 black and white photographs, now in the care of the London Transport Museum.;This book presents a selection of the best photographs, many of which have never been published before. Subjects range from street scenes at the turn of the century, to the massive damage sustained by the city during the World War II; from construction workers tunnelling in the bowels of the earth, to the cameraderie of the men and women who kept London's transport services running in wartime. During the 1920s and 1930s, some of the great architects of the age were making a name for themselves with their design for London's stations, and numerous images pay tribute to their achievements. More recent photographs take us behind the scenes to reveal little-known aspects of London Transport, such as the maintenance men, rat-catchers and "fluffers" who still work at night to keep the Underground lines in good order.;Many of the photographs selected, although originally intended as nothing more than a simple record, were transformed into works of art through the photographers' technical skill and unerring sympathy for the human story behind the image. Interpreted here by introductory text and extended captions, they capture the atmosphere of London across more than half a century of great change.
