Travel

The Dramatic History of London’s Underground

No matter if you're a tourist or a native Londoner, these images will force you to look at the Tube in a different light

By Elizabeth Stamp

September 24, 2019

The London Underground’s vast network carries up to 1.4 billion passengers each year. But it took over 150 years for the “Tube” to become the iconic transport system it is today. In the new book London’s Underground: The Story of the Tube (White Lion Publishing, $45), transport expert Oliver Green traces the history of the system chronologically from its beginnings in 1863 to the modern day, placing an emphasis on the evolving design and infrastructure, which, according to Green, is “what has made the Underground special.” Photographer Benjamin Graham, who was named U.K. landscape photographer of the year in 2017, captured all aspects of the contemporary Tube. “I wanted the book to convey the unique visual atmosphere of the Tube over time by contrasting archive views with Benjamin Graham’s new photographs of the system, stations, and trains then and now,” says Green. “It’s like taking a slice of London through time with then-and-now comparisons throughout. I hope the book will persuade people, whether Londoners or visitors, to look at the Tube in a different light. It is much more than a basic transportation system.”

Photo: Benjamin Graham
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“The Underground has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Green. “I was brought up in north London and went to school every day on the Northern Line. I always felt sorry for people in south London who weren’t on the Tube map. If you lived in Bromley or Croydon you weren’t really part of London.” The original glass-and-iron roof constructed in 1876 still shelters Earl’s Court, the District Line’s hub.
Photo: TfL
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The Tower Subway was the world’s first tube subway, and the tunneling technique used to create it is still used today, although now with computer-guided machines. It was used as a pedestrian tunnel, which closed to the public once the Tower Bridge opened. The circular building that served as the entrance still stands in Tower Hill.

Photo: Benjamin Graham
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The Tube’s train cars have changed dramatically in design over the years. This Standard Tube stock car, which is now on display at the London Transport Museum, was built in 1927. Trains of this type were used until the early 1960s.
Photo: Benjamin Graham
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The London Underground’s strong visual and architectural identity were shaped by managing director Frank Pick and consulting architect Charles Holden between 1925 and 1940. Holden designed a number of buildings for the Underground, including this circular station at Southgate, which opened in 1933.

Photo: TfL
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The first version of the iconic diagrammatic Underground map debuted in 1933. The easy-to-read guide was designed by Harry Beck, who abandoned geographic accuracy in favor of simplicity.
Photo: TfL
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The Underground’s rapid expansion was ground to a halt by World War II. Most deep Tube stations served as nighttime shelters, particularly during the London Blitz. Bunk beds were installed on the platforms, and the trains continued to operate during the day.

Photo: Benjamin Graham
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Development of new stations continued after the war. The “Moscow” concourse at Gants Hill Station opened in 1947 and was inspired by Moscow’s first metro stations, which debuted in 1935.
Photo: Benjamin Graham
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Art, such as this 1984 mosaic by Eduardo Paolozzi, has been an important part of the Underground since the 1920s. “Frank Pick, the Underground’s great managing director before the war, used to call [the Underground] the framework of the town and a work of art,” says Green. “He was right on both counts. It was the best combination of engineering and design anywhere in the world, enabling a great city to thrive and grow.”

Photo: Benjamin Graham
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The Jubilee Line Extension (JLE) opened in 1999. This bus station at Canada Water JLE station was designed by Eva Jiřičná Architects, the only firm on the JLE project that is led by a woman.
Photo: Benjamin Graham
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“By the 1970s and ’80s it was in decline and suffering from cutbacks and underinvestment,” says Green. “That has all changed in the last 25 years, and the Tube is now something for London to be proud of. The great thing is that it is being modernized and developed without destroying its heritage, and the quality of the new environments is as good, if not better, than the classic design of the 1920s and ’30s.” Sir Norman Foster designed the monumental Canary Wharf JLE station, which has become one of the top 10 most-used stations.