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Carregando... Underground: How the Tube Shaped Londonde David Bownes, Oliver Green, Sam Mullins
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In 2013 London Underground, the world's first underground railway, marks its 150th anniversary. This new, lavishly illustrated history is the official anniversary publication of the London Underground, drawing on previously unseen sources and images to celebrate the crucial role of the tube in the creation and everyday life of modern London. London Underground experts David Bownes, Oliver Green and Sam Mullins have a lifelong passion for the city and the Tube. In London Underground 150 they blend social history with the story of the pioneering engineers, designers, and social reformers who created the system, reflecting on the problems of keeping a fast growing city on the move. From providing access to the business heart of the Victorian City of London to the leisure delights of the Edwardian West End, through the growth of the suburbs and the vital role of the Underground as shelter during the Blitz, the story continues through urban regeneration to the challenge of upgrading the original network to meet the needs of the 21st century. With a cast of characters encompassing entrepreneurs, architects, politicians and passengers, this is the story of how the world beneath our feet made history. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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Google Books — Carregando... GênerosClassificação decimal de Dewey (CDD)388.4209421Social sciences Commerce, Communications, Transportation Transportation Local transportation Local rail transit systems History, geographic treatment, biography EuropeClassificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos E.U.A. (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia:
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The book is divided into six chapters, starting from the earliest days when railways were new and privately owned. The Underground railway was built using the ‘cut and cover’ method (cut a deep trench, then build the tunnel and put the soil back over) before tunnelling techniques were developed in the late 1800s. Some of those techniques are still used today in slightly modified format, such as in the development of Crossrail, the latest addition to London’s trains. The story extends up to the early days of Crossrail, but there’s not a lot of detail on it understandably. (I’d recommend Crossrail’s website, where you can see a lot about the tunnelling machines). There is also a lot of detail about the platforms, stations and the different eras – I love how so much effort was put into the design and building of the suburban stations in particular. The book also discusses how Londoners used Tube stations as bomb shelters during World War II (did you know initially access to stations was refused?). It also doesn’t shy away from the decline of the system during the 1970s and 1980s – there are some fascinating photos included not only for this section but all chapters of the book.
What really amazed me about Underground: How the Tube Shaped London is how progressive the railways were. Steam engines being used underground was cause for complaint of fumes, so the trains went electric, starting in 1905. Electronic ticket machines were introduced alongside electronic ticketing barriers in the 1960s. In comparison, the city where I live changed to electric trains in the late 1980s and electronic ticketing in the 1990s! Escalators were another new tool introduced early by the Underground (including the spiral escalator, which was said to induce giddiness and never made it to a second build).
I think this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in London’s history, transport or social history. It’s an excellent book, celebrating many great achievements, but not shying away from the dark events either.
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