London’s Railways

In the nineteenth century London was the most important city in the world, the capital of an empire ‘on which the sun never set.’ This was the golden age of railway building and is reflected in the city’s transport history and infrastructure. London has more main line termini then any other city and was the first to have an underground steam railway and to develop electric traction. London now has one of the largest underground railway systems in the world as well as a fascinating suburban network. London’s Railways gives a unique insight into the history of the railways that criss-cross London. It was the railway that kept London fed and heated and it was the railway that brought the workers and raw materials to keep it running at all times of day and night. Railways have also helped form the London of today; they have helped create the suburbs, have made the centre unique and their architecture has dominated streetscapes both in central London and in the outlying towns and villages that have been swallowed by the urban growth. Illustrated with over 200 images, dating from 1850 to 1950, London’s Railways brings the classic age of rail travel to life and demonstrates us just how much London was, and still is, dependent on the shimmering ribbons of steel that have penetrated both over and under the city from all directions.