Publisher's Synopsis
This is a fascinating and useful reference to the history of the London Underground that reveals new insights into the history of the iconic transport system. Over one billion journeys are made on the London Underground each year, and the network has become one of the city’s most famous features. From the traditional roundel logo and iconic tube map, to the familiar call of ‘mind the gap’, the tube has developed a culture of its own through its long and often turbulent history.
Inside Amazing & Extraordinary London Underground Facts:
The Pioneers– this chapter covers some of the pioneering spirits behind the early ideas for solving London’s traffic problems, before the Underground, from the failures of George Shillibeer’s Omnibusto Captain Bailey’s Hackney Coaches.
The Lines– full of interesting facts about each line of the London Underground, including information about the pioneers involved in working on each line.
Financing the Underground– without the sometimes unconventional activities of financiers like Charles Yerkes, Sir Edgar Speyer and Whitaker Wright the early network would never have been built. This section fills you with facts about how it financially came together.
Underground Management– from the mid-1970s the financial problems of the London Underground made its management easy prey for politicians and journalists. This section looks at the key figures who successfully and unsuccessfully managed the Underground.
Trains and Tunnels– learn about the first steam locomotives from when the Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863, the advanced tunneling technology of the late nineteenth century, and the early electric railway.
The Underground at War– the tunnels of the Underground network played a vital role in providing shelter for the hundreds of thousands of Londoners seeking safety from bombing raids.
Underground Art, Architecture, Poetry and Maths– the Underground made (and continues to make) an important contribution to many aspects of British life. From Harry Beck’s iconic map to Wordsworth and Betjeman’s poetry on the Underground.
Metroland and its Family– from the spectacular failure of the Watkin Tower to the peaceful Kingsbury Garden Village, find out about all of the Metroland architects and architecture.
Accidents and Tragedies– the underground has accommodated fictional murders and the grimmer kind, as well as being the scene of terrible tragedy. Discover the fascinating facts behind wartime tragedies right up to modern day terrorism.
Underground Curiosities– ghost stations, myths and legends of the Underground.
Amazing & Extraordinary London Underground Factstells this incredible story of grand and impractical visions, colourful characters and shady dealers, political wranglings and financial disasters. It glories in groundbreaking engineering and architecture, innovative art and inspired marketing. Full of fun trivia and fascinating facts, this is a book for anyone who’s ever travelled on the tube – commuters, tourists and Londoners alike.
