1.
London and North Western Railway
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The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the world, the company was formed on 16 July 1846 by the amalgamation of the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. This move was prompted in part by the Great Western Railways plans for a railway north from Oxford to Birmingham, the company initially had a network of approximately 350 miles, connecting London with Birmingham, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Manchester. The headquarters were at Euston railway station, as traffic increased it was greatly expanded with the opening in 1849 of the Great Hall, designed by Philip Charles Hardwick in classical style. It was 126 ft long,61 ft wide and 64 ft high, the station stood on Drummond Street. Further expansion resulted in two platforms in the 1870s, and four more in the 1890s, bringing the total to 15. The LNWR described itself as the Premier Line, as the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom, it collected a greater revenue than any other railway company of its era. With the Grand Union Railway acquisition of the North Union Railway in 1846, in 1858 they merged with the Chester and Holyhead Railway and became responsible for the lucrative Irish Mail trains via the North Wales Main Line to Holyhead and handled the Irish Mail. On 1 February 1859 the company launched the limited mail service, the Postmaster General was always willing to allow a fourth coach provided the increased weight did not cause time to be lost in running. The train was timed to leave Euston at 20.30 and operated until the GPO instituted its own post train, wholly of Post Office vehicles, on 1 October 1873 the first sleeping carriage ran between Euston and Glasgow, attached to the limited mail. It ran three nights a week in each direction, on 1 February 1874 a second carriage was provided and the service ran every night. In 1860 the company pioneered the use of the water trough designed by John Ramsbottom and it was introduced on a section of level track at Mochdre, between Llandudno Junction and Colwyn Bay. At the core of the LNWR system was the main line network connecting London Euston with the cities of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. This route is known as the West Coast Main Line. The LNWR also had a line connecting Liverpool and Manchester with Leeds. At its peak just before World War I, it ran a route mileage of more than 1,500 miles, in 1913 the company achieved a total revenue of £17,219,060 with working expenses of £11,322,164. With this, the LNWR achieved a route mileage of 2,707.88 miles, the LNWR became a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish railway when the railways of Great Britain were merged in the grouping of 1923. Ex-LNWR lines formed the core of the LMSs Western Division, nationalisation followed in 1948, with the English and Welsh lines of the LMS becoming the London Midland Region of British Railways
2.
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
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The London, Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, the resulting company was an unwieldy construction, with numerous interests other than railway operation. Besides being the worlds largest transport organisation, it was also the largest commercial enterprise in the British Empire, the LMS also claimed to be the largest joint stock organisation in the world. In 1938, the LMS operated 6,870 miles of railway, under the Transport Act 1947, along with the other members of the Big Four British railway companies, the LMS was nationalised on 1 January 1948, becoming part of the state-owned British Railways. The LMS was the largest of the Big Four railway companies serving routes in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the LMS operated services in and around London, the Midlands, the North West of England, Mid/North Wales and Scotland. The company also operated a network of lines in Northern Ireland. The LMS operated a number of lines jointly with the main railway companies. Most of these were situated at or near the boundaries between two or more of the companies, but there were notable examples which extended beyond this hinterland zone. Together with the London and North Eastern Railway, the LMS ran the former Midland, exceeding 183 miles, this was the largest jointly-operated network in Great Britain in terms of route mileage, and extended from Peterborough to the East Anglian coast. The M&GN was wholly incorporated into the LNER in 1936, the LMS also operated a significant joint network with the Southern Railway, in the shape of the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. This network connected Bath and Bournemouth, and wound its way through territory nominally allocated to a railway company. Through the former Midland Railway holdings, the LMS, together with the Great Northern Railway, the SR and the LMS were mainly overlapping on the West London Line. The London to Birmingham corridor was fiercely contested with the LMS running expresses over its West Coast Main Line via Rugby, the LMS was also the only one of the Big Four companies to operate rail services in Northern Ireland, serving most major settlements in the region. On 1 July 1903, the Midland Railway took over the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, in 1912, the Midland Railway purchased the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway which operated between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, with a loop serving Tilbury. This part of the later came under the control of the LNER, although this particular route. This arrangement did however provide a choice for residents of Southend, the LMS was the minority partner in the Cheshire Lines Committee. In Ireland there were three railways, Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway 26.5 miles Northern Counties Committee 265, for all railways see List of constituents of the LMS. Generally, the Midland prevailed, with the adoption of many Midland practices such as the livery of Crimson Lake for passenger locomotives, notable was the continuation of the Midland Railways small-engine policy
3.
Train station
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A train station, railway station, railroad station, or depot is a railway facility where trains regularly stop to load or unload passengers or freight. It generally consists of at least one platform and a station building providing such ancillary services as ticket sales. If a station is on a line, it often has a passing loop to facilitate traffic movements. The smallest stations are most often referred to as stops or, in parts of the world. Stations may be at level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to intersecting rail lines or other modes such as buses. In British usage, the station is commonly understood to mean a railway station unless otherwise qualified. In the United States, the most common term in contemporary usage is train station, Railway station and railroad station are less frequent. Outside North America, a depot is place where buses, trains, or other vehicles are housed and maintained and from which they are dispatched for service. The two-storey Mount Clare station in Baltimore, Maryland, which survives as a museum, first saw service as the terminus of the horse-drawn Baltimore. The oldest terminal station in the world was Crown Street railway station in Liverpool, built in 1830, as the first train on the Liverpool-Manchester line left Liverpool, the station is slightly older than the Manchester terminal at Liverpool Road. The station was the first to incorporate a train shed, the station was demolished in 1836 as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime Street railway station. Crown Street station was converted to a goods station terminal, the first stations had little in the way of buildings or amenities. The first stations in the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, manchesters Liverpool Road Station, the second oldest terminal station in the world, is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It resembles a row of Georgian houses, dual-purpose stations can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. In rural and remote communities across Canada and the United States, such stations were known as flag stops or flag stations. Many stations date from the 19th century and reflect the architecture of the time. Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-century styles, various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of stations, from those boasting grand, intricate, Baroque- or Gothic-style edifices, to plainer utilitarian or modernist styles
4.
Buckinghamshire
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Development in this region is restricted by the Metropolitan Green Belt. Other large settlements include the county town of Aylesbury, Marlow in the south near the Thames and Princes Risborough in the west near Oxford. Some areas without rail links to London, such as around the old county town of Buckingham. The largest town is Milton Keynes in the northeast, which with the area is administered as a unitary authority separately to the rest of Buckinghamshire. The remainder of the county is administered by Buckinghamshire County Council as a non-metropolitan county, in national elections, Buckinghamshire is considered a reliable supporter of the Conservative Party. A large part of the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, runs through the south of the county and attracts many walkers, in this area older buildings are often made from local flint and red brick. Chequers, an estate owned by the government, is the country retreat of the incumbent Prime Minister. To the north of the county lies rolling countryside in the Vale of Aylesbury, the Thames forms part of the county’s southwestern boundary. Notable service amenities in the county are Pinewood Film Studios, Dorney rowing lake, many national companies have offices in Milton Keynes. Heavy industry and quarrying is limited, with agriculture predominating after service industries, the name Buckinghamshire is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means The district of Buccas home. Buccas home refers to Buckingham in the north of the county, the county has been so named since about the 12th century, however, the county has existed since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of Mercia. Historically, the biggest change to the county came in the 19th century, Buckinghamshire is a popular home for London commuters, leading to greater local affluence, however, some pockets of relative deprivation remain. As a result, most county institutions are now based in the south of the county or Milton Keynes, the county can be split into two sections geographically. The county includes parts of two of the four longest rivers in England, the River Thames forms the southern boundary with Berkshire, which has crept over the border at Eton and Slough so that the river is no longer the sole boundary between the two counties. The River Great Ouse rises just outside the county in Northamptonshire and flows east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes, the main branch of the Grand Union Canal passes through the county as do its arms to Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Buckingham. The canal has been incorporated into the landscaping of Milton Keynes, the southern part of the county is dominated by the Chiltern Hills. The two highest points in Buckinghamshire are Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods at 267 metres above sea level, quarrying has taken place for chalk, clay for brickmaking and gravel and sand in the river valleys. Flint, also extracted from quarries, was used to build older local buildings
5.
Banbury
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It had a population of 46,853 at the 2011 census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area, Banburys main industries are car components, electrical goods, plastics, food processing, and printing. Banbury is home to the worlds largest coffee-processing facility, built in 1964, the town is famed for Banbury cakes – similar to Eccles cakes but oval in shape. The name Banbury derives from Banna, a Saxon chieftain said to have built a stockade there in the 6th century, the name appears as Banesberie in Domesday Book. Another known spelling was Banesebury in Medieval times, during excavations for the construction of an office building in Hennef Way in 2002, the remains of a British Iron Age settlement with circular buildings dating back to 200 BC were found. The site contained around 150 pieces of pottery and stone, later there was a Roman villa at nearby Wykham Park. The area was settled by the Saxons around the late 5th century, in about 556 Banbury was the scene of a battle between the local Anglo-Saxons of Cynric and Ceawlin, and the local Romano-British. It was a centre for Anglo-Saxon settlement by the mid-6th century. Banbury developed in the Anglo-Saxon period under Danish influence, starting in the late 6th century and it was assessed at 50 hides in the Domesday survey and was then held by the Bishop of Lincoln. The Saxons built Banbury on the west bank of the River Cherwell, on the opposite bank they built Grimsbury, which was part of Northamptonshire but was incorporated into Banbury in 1889. Neithrop was one of the oldest areas in Banbury, having first been recorded as a hamlet in the 13th century and it was formally incorporated into the borough of Banbury in 1889. It continued through what is now Banburys High Street and towards the Fosse Way at Stow-on-the-Wold, Banburys mediæval prosperity was based on wool. Banbury Castle was built from 1135 by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, and survived into the Civil War, due to its proximity to Oxford, the Kings capital, Banbury was at one stage a Royalist town, but the inhabitants were known to be strongly Puritan. The castle was demolished after the war, the town was pro-Parliamentarian, but the castle was manned by a Royalist garrison who supported King Charles I. In 1645 during the Civil War, Parliamentary troops were billeted in nearby Hanwell for nine weeks, the opening of the Oxford Canal from Hawkesbury Junction to Banbury on 30 March 1778 gave the town a cheap and reliable supply of Warwickshire coal. In 1787 the Oxford Canal was extended southwards, finally opening to Oxford on 1 January 1790, the canals main boat yard was the original outlay of todays Tooleys Boatyard. Peoples Park was set up as a park in 1890 and opened in 1910. The land south of the Foscote Private Hospital in Calthorpe and Easington Farm were mostly farmland until the early 1960s as shown by the Ordnance Survey maps of 1964,1955 and 1947
6.
Aylesbury
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Aylesbury /ˈeɪəlzbri/ is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. In 2011, it had a population of 71,977, the town name is of Old English origin. Its first recorded name Æglesburgh is thought to mean Fort of Ægel, since earliest records there have been 57 variations of the name. Excavations in the centre in 1985 found an Iron Age hill fort dating from the early 4th century BC. Aylesbury was a market town in Anglo-Saxon times, the burial place of Saint Osgyth. The Early English parish church of St. Mary has a crypt beneath, once thought to be Anglo-Saxon, it is now recognised as being of the same period as the medieval chapel above. At the Norman conquest, the king took the manor of Aylesbury for himself, in 1450, a religious institution called the Guild of St Mary was founded in Aylesbury by John Kemp, Archbishop of York. Known popularly as the Guild of Our Lady it became a place for local dignitaries. The guild was influential in the outcome of the Wars of the Roses. Its premises at the Chantry in Church Street, Aylesbury, are still there, the plague decimated the population in 1603/4. Aylesbury-born composer, Rutland Boughton, possibly inspired by the statue of John Hampden, bourbon Street in Aylesbury is named after the king. Louiss wife, Marie Josephine of Savoy died at Hartwell in 1810 and is the only French queen to have died on English soil, the town also received international publicity in the 1963 when the culprits responsible for the ] were tried at Aylesbury Crown Court. The robbery took place at Bridego Bridge, a bridge at Ledburn. A notable institution is Aylesbury Grammar School which was founded in 1598, according to the 2011 Census, the religious groupings in Aylesbury were, Christianity, No religion, Islam, Hinduism, Other. 7% of respondents did not state their religion, Aylesbury falls into a notional geographical region known as the South Midlands. In the 2001 census the Aylesbury Urban Area had 69,021 inhabitants by the 2011 census the urban population had grown to 74,748. Distinct whole areas that have a high property price in the town are Bedgrove. Anticipated developments are expected to raise the population of Aylesbury from its current approximation of 75,000 to 100,000 between 2018 and 2023
7.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
8.
East West Rail Link
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East West Rail Link is a planned railway route linking Didcot, Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich in England using part of the former Varsity Line. The western section from Oxford to Bedford was approved by the Government in November 2011, although most media attention is focussed on passenger services, the route is expected to be just as important for freight. As of December 2016, the segment from Oxford via Bicester Village to the junction with the Chiltern Main Line is operational, Ipswich Council and its neighbours were particularly concerned about poor services within East Anglia and the links to London. Some success was achieved east of Cambridge, at least partly through the efforts of the group, in April 2006, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister reported itself to be in favour of the principle of re-opening the link between Bedford and Oxford. In May 2006 the Department of Transport announced specific plans for Bletchley railway station, the document stated that it is likely that Bletchley area renewals and network simplification will take place by 2010, to include a high-level platform for Bedford trains. The network will be suitable for the addition of any East-West link to and from Oxford and for the operation of through links from either Oxford or Bedford to. In March 2007, a study declared at p.38,5, capital cost for the base case is between £100m – £135m. The base case and the Aylesbury options should be considered in the next phase of work. In April 2008, the Department for Transport responded to an e-petition for support on East West Rail by reiterating that they would encourage private funding, the western section will link Oxford and Bedford via Bletchley, with connections to the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line. It will use the Oxford to Bicester Line, a section of the Varsity Line from Bicester to Bletchley. The existing Cherwell Valley Line will form a link to the Great Western Main Line at Didcot Parkway railway station, passenger services to Milton Keynes Central and Aylesbury were also planned. If construction had started in 2009 as they hoped, the upgraded / re-opened line could have been in service by 2012. In November 2008 the Milton Keynes Partnership, Chiltern Railways and the consortium agreed to take their proposals forward together. Chiltern Railways would take the lead on the upgrading of the Oxford-Bicester section with its Project Evergreen 3, in December 2008 the commissioning of a further report, to take the project forward to GRIP Stage 4, was announced. Section 3 also states there is some uncertainty over various parties requirements for the existing Bletchley-Bedford railway. Work to clear vegetation from the redundant section of line for the infrastructure assessment started in January 2009, the February 2008 report identified two options defined from different perspectives, the Regional Rail option and the Local Rail option. As part of existing upgrades, a new bay platform has been provided at Milton Keynes Central, the infrastructure between Oxford and Bletchley required by both options is essentially the same. The spur from Calvert to Aylesbury is only included in the Local option, the line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for 100 mph double-track running
9.
Ramsgate
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Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century, in 2001 it had a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate’s main attraction is its coastline, and its industries are tourism. The town has one of the largest marinas on the English south coast, Ramsgate began as a fishing and farming hamlet. The Christian missionary St Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory the Great, the town is home to the Shrine of St Augustine. The earliest reference to the town is in the Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274-5, the names Ramisgate and Raunsgate appear in the parish of St. Laurence records circa 1290. These are all derived from late Anglo-Saxon ‘Hremmes’ from earlier ‘Hræfnes’ and ‘geat’, in 1357, the area became known as Ramesgate. Ramsgate was a member of the Confederation of Cinque Ports, under the Limb of Sandwich, the construction of Ramsgate Harbour began in 1749 and was completed in about 1850. The harbour has the distinction of being the only Royal Harbour in the United Kingdom, because of its proximity to mainland Europe, Ramsgate was a chief embarkation point both during the Napoleonic Wars and for the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. Etc. not forgetting its bracing climate. The streets of Ramsgate are well paved or macadamed and brilliantly lighted with gas. The architect A W Pugin and his sons lived in Ramsgate and built several important buildings there, including St Augustines Church, The Grange, St Augustines Abbey, the artist Vincent Van Gogh moved to Ramsgate in April 1876, at age 23. He boarded at 11 Spencer Square, which is identified by a blue plaque and he obtained work as a teacher at a local school in Royal Road, where he received his post. In one of his letters to his brother Theo, he described his surroundings, There’s a harbour full of all kinds of ships, and further out one sees the sea in its natural state, and that’s beautiful. In 1901, a tram service, one of the few inter-urban tramways in Britain, was introduced on the Isle of Thanet. The towns of Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs were linked by 11 miles of track, in 1915–1916, early aircraft began to use the open farmland at Manston as a site for emergency landings. The location near the Kent coast gave Manston some advantages over the previously established aerodromes. During the First World War, Ramsgate was the target of bombing raids by Zeppelin airships, by 1917 the Royal Flying Corps was well established and taking an active part in the defence of Britain. As RAF Manston, the played a important role in the Second World War
10.
Baker Street tube station
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Baker Street is a station on the London Underground at the junction of Baker Street and the Marylebone Road. The station is in Travelcard Zone 1 and is served by five different lines and it is one of the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway, the worlds first underground railway, opened in 1863. On the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines it is between Great Portland Street and Edgware Road, on the Metropolitan line it is between Great Portland Street and Finchley Road. On the Bakerloo line it is between Regents Park and Marylebone, and on the Jubilee line it is between Bond Street and St. Johns Wood, the station has entrances on Baker Street, Chiltern Street and Marylebone Road. Nearby attractions include Regents Park, Lords Cricket Ground, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, the station layout is rather complex. The sub-surface station is connected to the open-air Metropolitan line station, below this is a deep-level tube station for the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. These are arranged in a cross-platform interchange layout and there are connections between the two lines just to the north of the station, access to the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines is only via escalators. With ten platforms overall, Baker Street has the most London Underground platforms of any station on the network, of the MRs original stations, now the Circle and Hammersmith & City line platforms five and six are the best preserved dating from the stations opening in 1863. Plaques of the Metropolitan Railways coat of arms along the platform and old plans and photographs depict the station which has changed little in over a hundred. Restoration work in the 1980s on the oldest portions of Baker Street station brought it back to something similar to its 1863 appearance. The Metropolitan lines platforms one to four were largely the result of the rebuild in the 1920s to cater for the increase in traffic on its outer suburban routes. All Metropolitan line platforms can function as terminating tracks however under normal circumstance only dead ended platforms one, the Bakerloo line uses platforms eight and nine date from 10th March 1906 when the Baker Street & Waterloo railway opened between here and Lambeth North. The contraction of the name to Bakerloo rapidly caught on, by the mid-1930s, the Metropolitan line was suffering from congestion caused by the limited capacity of its tracks between Baker Street and Finchley Road stations. The Bakerloo line also took over the Metropolitan lines service to Stanmore on 20 November 1939, following refurbishment in the 1980s the original tiling scheme was replaced with tiles depicting the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes who lived at 221B, Baker Street. In 1999 the Jubilee line was extended from Green Park to Stratford, the design of the Jubilee line platforms at Baker Street has changed little since being opened with illustrations depicting famous scenes from Sherlock Holmes cases. Cross platform interchange is provided between Bakerloo and Jubilee lines in both directions, in 2008 TfL proposed a project to provide step-free access to the sub-surface platforms. The project was a TfL-funded Games-enabling project in its investment programme, the project was included in the strategy on accessible transport published by the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Access to the Metropolitan line platforms 1–4 would be provided by a bridge from the Bakerloo and Jubilee line ticket hall, through a passage from platforms 1–2, this would also give step-free access to platform 5
11.
Metropolitan Railway
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Its first line connected the main-line railway termini at Paddington, Euston, and Kings Cross to the City. It opened to the public on 10 January 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, the line was soon extended from both ends, and northwards via a branch from Baker Street. Harrow was reached in 1880, and the line extended to Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire, more than 50 miles from Baker Street. Electric traction was introduced in 1905 and by 1907 electric multiple units operated most of the services, unlike other railway companies in the London area, the Met developed land for housing, and after World War I promoted housing estates near the railway using the Metro-land brand. On 1 July 1933, the Met was amalgamated with the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, former Met tracks and stations are used by the London Undergrounds Metropolitan, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Piccadilly, and Jubilee lines, and by Chiltern Railways. In the first half of the 19th century the population and physical extent of London grew greatly, only Fenchurch Street station was within the City. The congested streets and the distance to the City from the stations to the north, none were successful, and the 1846 Royal Commission investigation into Metropolitan Railway Termini banned construction of new lines or stations in the built-up central area. The concept of a railway linking the City with the mainline termini was first proposed in the 1830s. Charles Pearson, Solicitor to the City, was a promoter of several schemes. The scheme was rejected by the 1846 commission, but Pearson returned to the idea in 1852 when he helped set up the City Terminus Company to build a railway from Farringdon to Kings Cross. Although the plan was supported by the City, the companies were not interested. The Bayswater, Paddington, and Holborn Bridge Railway Company was established to connect the Great Western Railways Paddington station to Pearsons route at Kings Cross, a bill was published in November 1852 and in January 1853 the directors held their first meeting and appointed John Fowler as its engineer. After successful lobbying, the company secured parliamentary approval under the name of the North Metropolitan Railway in the summer of 1853 and this dropped the City terminus and extended the route south from Farringdon to the General Post Office in St. Martins Le Grand. The route at the end was also altered so that it connected more directly to the GWR station. Permission was also sought to connect to the London and North Western Railway at Euston and to the Great Northern Railway at Kings Cross, the companys name was also to be changed again, to Metropolitan Railway. Royal assent was granted to the North Metropolitan Railway Act on 7 August 1854, construction of the railway was estimated to cost £1 million. Initially, with the Crimean War under way, the Met found it hard to raise the capital, while it attempted to raise the funds it presented new bills to Parliament seeking an extension of time to carry out the works. In July 1855, an Act to make a connection to the GNR at Kings Cross received royal assent
12.
Metro-land
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The term Metro-land was coined by the Mets marketing department in 1915 when the Guide to the Extension Line became the Metro-land guide. It promoted a dream of a home in beautiful countryside with a fast railway service to central London until the Met was absorbed into the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933. When, in 1871 plans were presented for a railway in Paris. The modern word metro is a form of the French word. The railway was extended from both ends and northwards via a branch from Baker Street. Harrow was reached in 1880, and the line extended as far as Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire, more than 50 miles from Baker Street. From the end of the 19th century, the railway shared tracks with the Great Central Railway route out of Marylebone, Electric traction was introduced in 1905 with electric multiple units operating services between Uxbridge, Harrow-on-the-Hill and Baker Street. To remove steam and smoke from the tunnels in central London, the Metropolitan Railway purchased electric locomotives, to improve services, more powerful electric and steam locomotives were purchased in the 1920s. A short branch opened from Rickmansworth to Watford in 1925, the 4-mile long Stanmore branch from Wembley Park was completed in 1932. Initially, the land was managed by the Land Committee. Similar developments followed at Cecil Park, near Pinner and, after the failure of the tower at Wembley, however, World War I delayed these plans and it was 1919, with expectation of a housing boom, before the MRCE was formed. Concerned that Parliament might reconsider the position the Met held. The term Metro-land was coined by the Mets marketing department in 1915 when the Guide to the Extension Line became the Metro-land guide and this promoted the land served by the Met for the walker, the visitor and later the house-hunter. The dream promoted was of a home in beautiful countryside with a fast railway service to central London. From about 1914 the company had promoted itself as The Met, inter-war suburban development and ‘Metroland’ A few large houses had been built on parts of Wembley Park, south-west of the Metropolitan station, as early as the 1890s. In 1906, when Watkin’s Tower closed, the Tower Company had become the Wembley Park Estate Company, unlike other railways, from an early date the Metropolitan Railway had bought land alongside its line and then developed housing on it. In 1915 by the Metropolitan Railway’s publicity department created the term ‘Metro-land’ and it was used as the new name for the company’s annual guide to the places it served. It was published annually until 1932, but when the Metropolitan became part of London Transport in 1933 the term, by then North-West London was well on the road to it reputation for suburbanisation
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