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

Joseph Aloysius Hansom

Joseph Aloysius Hansom

Architect, founder/editor of The Builder and inventor of the Hansom cab.  Born York as Josephus Aloysius Handsom(e) into a Roman Catholic family.   Made a habit of snatching failure from the jaws o...

Person, Architecture, Transport

1 memorial
Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones

Sailor. Born Harwich, Essex (His birth year is approximate). He moved to Rotherhithe in London and became master of the Mayflower from at least 1609. The ship was usually employed in transporting g...

Person, Transport, USA

2 memorials
RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania

Passenger liner. She was awarded the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing, and for a while was the largest ship afloat. She was torpedoed by a German U-boat, off the west coast of Ireland,...

Vehicle, Tragedy, Transport

1 memorial
Teddington Locks

Teddington Locks

The first lock was constructed in timber in 1810.  This become delapidated and new locks were built by the Corporation of the City of London 1856-8.  Footbridges were added in 1889 and the barge lo...

Building, Transport

2 memorials