Selected article
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The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (W&SR) was a railway company established by an Act of Parliament in 1910 to build a railway line in Surrey (now south-west London) from Wimbledon to Sutton via Merton and Morden in the United Kingdom. The railway was promoted by local landowners hoping to increase the value of their land through its development for housing. It was initially planned that services on the railway would be operated by the London Underground's Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) by an extension of its existing service from Wimbledon.
Delays in finding the funding, opposition from the two mainline companies that the line was intended to connect, and World War I, led to the start of construction work being delayed until 1927. The line was completed and opened in January 1930, although the planned extension of the MDR was not implemented and the service was provided by the Southern Railway. The opening of the line stimulated residential development as planned, but competition from the London Underground's City and South London Railway, which had its terminus at Morden, meant that the line did not achieve the hoped for passenger numbers. (Full article...)
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Selected biography
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John Rennie (the Elder) (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, and docks. Rennie, a farmer's younger son, was born at Phantassie, near East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. He showed a taste for mechanics at a very early age. After studying at the University of Edinburgh he worked briefly for James Watt in Staffordshire before moving to London in 1784. In London, he worked first as a mechanical engineer before setting up his own business in 1791 at Holland Street, Blackfriars and expanding into the designing of civil engineering projects.
Rennie designed many canals, bridges and docks around the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as harbours and lighthouses.
Amongst the projects designed by Rennie in London were previous versions of Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge and London Bridge and the London, East India and West India Docks.
After his death, Rennie's sons George and John founded the engineering company J. and G. Rennie. (Full article...)
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Did you know...
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- ...that the "Mind the gap" announcement is played when trains stop at stations with curved platforms to warn passengers of gaps between the platform edge and the doors?
- ...that Sir Jacob Epstein's statute Day on the Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway caused controversy when it was unveiled due to the length of the penis on one of the figures? Epstein later reduced the length.
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Image 1Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
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Image 3The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
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Image 4"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
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Image 5The multi-level junction between the M23 and M25 motorways near Merstham in Surrey. The M23 passes over the M25 with bridges carrying interchange slip roads for the two motorways in between.
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Image 7Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
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Image 9The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
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Image 10Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
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Image 11Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
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Image 12Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
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Image 13Sailing ships at West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in 1810. The docks opened in 1802 and closed in 1980 and have since been redeveloped as the Canary Wharf development.
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Image 14A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
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Image 15Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
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Image 1755 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
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Image 18London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
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Image 19View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
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Image 22London General Omnibus Company B-type bus B340 built in 1911 by AEC. One of a number of London buses purchased by the British military during World War I, this vehicle was operated on the Western Front.
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Image 23Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
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Image 24Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
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Image 26Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
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Image 27Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
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Image 28TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
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Image 29Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
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Image 31The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
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Image 35The newly constructed junction of the Westway ( A40) and the West Cross Route ( A3220) at White City, circa 1970. Continuation of the West Cross Route northwards under the roundabout was cancelled leaving two short unused stubs for the slip roads that would have been provided for traffic joining or leaving the northern section.
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Image 36Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
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Image 37Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
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Image 38Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
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Image 39Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
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Image 40London Underground A60 Stock (left) and 1938 Stock (right) trains showing the difference in the sizes of the two types of rolling stock operated on the system. A60 stock trains operated on the surface and sub-surface sections of the Metropolitan line from 1961 to 2012 and 1938 Stock operated on various deep level tube lines from 1938 to 1988.
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Image 41Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
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Image 43Arguably the best-preserved disused station building in London, this is the former Alexandra Palace station on the GNR Highgate branch (closed in 1954). It is now in use as a community centre (CUFOS).
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Image 44The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
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Image 45Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
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Image 46Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
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Image 47Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
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Image 48Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
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Image 49The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
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