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Flat out
One of the problems with being a historian is that every time you see the phrase ‘revolutionary thinking’ there’s a jaded sounding little voice in your head that sarcastically says really? So when the Londonist opened an article with the … Continue reading
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Tagged Fares, Frank Pick, Green, Green Party, London, london transport, Low paid workers, One Zone, Outer London, public transport, Rents, tfl, Transport for London, underground, Zones
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Taking the bus
Shamefully, sometimes this blog doesn’t quite live up to its name. To rectify this, we bring you two singular cases of omnibuses related criminality designed to stun the mind and bemuse the senses. Sort of. One night in August 1932, … Continue reading
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Return of the Women-Only carriage (vintage 1845)?
Being a historian is often being resigned to having a constant sense of déjà vu. This is doubly the case for anyone who has studied public transport, with ideas from over a century ago often being picked up and repackaged … Continue reading
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Let them eat cake
August 1864. For 100 people on a train life was about to get a little frosty. When we think of train travel in the United States in the late nineteenth century our thoughts probably shoot back to the famous moment … Continue reading
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Tagged 1864, America, blizzard, Chicago, history, public transport, railways, snow, snow drift
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Communication Breakdown
‘What were the objections to the Bill? One was that there existed no necessity for legislation on this subject, and another was that if a means of communication between passengers and guards were established they would have old women travelling … Continue reading
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Tagged £5 pull, communication breakdown, communication cord, emergency, Henry Sheridan, pirate omnibus, public transport, Retford, train, trains
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How to solve a problem like the rush hour
Rush hour. For some it’s an 80’s classic by Jane Wiedlin featuring a bizarre array of dolphins for no apparent reason. For others it’s Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker belting their way through two fun action comedies. Also a third action comedy … Continue reading
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Tagged congestion, garden city, London, new towns, overground, population, rush hour, Tube, underground
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Expressing your love.
Brighton, Wednesday, November 5th 1845. A crisis was breaking. Lady Adela Villiers, the seventeen year old daughter of the Earl and Countess of Jersey had disappeared. At 5pm that afternoon, Lady Adela had retired to her room to dress for … Continue reading
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Tagged 19th Century, Adela Villiers, Birmingham, Brighton, elope, elopement, Euston, Gretna Green, high society, Ibbetson, Liverpool Street, London, London & Birmingham, marriage, mystery, runaway bride
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On strike
‘DAY OF TRAFFIC CHAOS’ printed The Times, before explaining that ‘extreme dislocation’ was the likely outcome of the Underground strike. For Londoners trying to get to work during the current tube strike, ‘extreme dislocation’ is apparently underway, but The Times … Continue reading
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Tagged Greater London, history, London, social history, strike, travel chaos, Tube, Tube strike, underground, Underground strike
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Hats all folks.
Of all the items of clothing that humanity has invented for itself, perhaps none are as important as the humble hat. Some of film’s greatest scenes involve hats, whether they underline the murderous intentions of their wearer, or just demonstrate … Continue reading
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Tagged Christmas, District Line, hat, London, London Underground, railway, social history, St James' Park, Tube, Victoria
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Pipe Down
Last month we dealt with how the Underground became a smoker’s paradise. This month, we look at how it all fell apart. By 1926 around eighty per cent of carriages on the tube were smoking cars, and smokers had free reign … Continue reading