91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Event    From 10/1/1863 

First underground passenger railway - Metropolitan

Categories: Transport

Event

Between Paddington and Farringdon. A grand opening on the 9th preceded the opening to the public on Saturday 10 January 1863.

“That afternoon Hetta trusted herself all alone to the mysteries of the Marylebone underground railway, and emerged with accuracy at King’s Cross. She had studied her geography, and she walked from thence to Islington.” This description of an early underground journey, by a woman alone, comes from the 1875 ‘The Way We Live Now’ by Anthony Trollope (p.385 in vol.2, Penguin 2001). Living in Welbeck Street Hetta probably got on at (Great) Portland Street.

See Metropolitan Railway Company for more information.

It's interesting that, in 1829, George Shillibeer had launched the first omnibus service on a quite similar route: Marylebone Road to the Bank. Both services were catering to the middle classes who lived to the west and worked in the City.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
First underground passenger railway - Metropolitan

Commemorated ati

Baker Street Station Restoration

The walls of both platforms are adorned with information boards giving the hi...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

First underground passenger railway - LT plaque

London's roads were heavily congested, the railways stopped on the fringes of...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

First underground railway - red plaque

Metropolitan Railway The world's first underground railway opened from Paddin...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Regents Park Station

Great Portland Street  is a London Underground station on the Circle, Hammers...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Other Subjects

Paul Atterbury

Paul Atterbury

As this is a fairly unusual name, we are presuming he's the same person who is one of the experts on the BBC television series 'Antiques Roadshow'. He has also written about railways.

Person, Transport, TV & Radio

1 memorial
Central London Railway

Central London Railway

Railway line, known as the 'Twopenny Tube', as all tickets were sold at the price of two pre-decimal pennies. It was taken over by London Underground, becoming the Central line. See Londonist for ...

Place, Transport

1 memorial
Macclesfield Bridge explosion

Macclesfield Bridge explosion

From London Gardens Trust: "The bridge over the Regent's Canal to the north west of the Park was originally called North Gate Bridge but was re named in honour of Lord Macclesfield, the Chairman of...

Event, Tragedy, Transport

1 memorial
Bridge of Aspiration

Bridge of Aspiration

A high level link between the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet School. Designed by Flint & Neill and Buro Happold with Wilkinson Eyre.

Building, Architecture, Transport

1 memorial
Greenwich Station

Greenwich Station

Located on the line between London and Dartford, it was originally part of the London and Greenwich Railway. It is also part of The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Lewisham which opened ...

Building, Transport

1 memorial