Sleepy History - The London Underground

Episode Date: March 8, 2026

Narrated By: Simon Mattacks Written By: Jo Steer Beneath the quiet streets of London, the Underground began its slow and steady journey. From the first steam-powered tunnels to the familiar hum of modern trains, it carried generations through shadowed platforms and softly glowing stations. Tonight, wander through the origins, tunnels, and lasting legacy of the London Underground, as you drift into a peaceful and dream-filled sleep. Includes mentions of: Wartime, WWll, Trains, Underground Scenes, Ecnlosed Spaces, British History #history #sleep #bedtime #British #London #wartime #WWll #Trains #tube About Sleepy History Explore history's most intriguing stories, people, places, events, and mysteries, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. If you struggle to fall asleep and you have a curious mind, Sleepy History is the perfect bedtime companion. Our stories will gently grasp your attention, pulling your mind away from any racing thoughts, making room for the soothing music and calming narration to guide you into a peaceful sleep. Want to enjoy Sleepy History ad-free? Start your 7-day free trial of Sleepy History Premium: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepyhistory.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Have feedback or an episode request? Let us know at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠slumberstudios.com/contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.slumberstudios.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Sleepy History. Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To listen ad-free, get access to bonus episodes, and support the ongoing production of this show. Check out our premium feed. For many of us, underground travel is a part of life, whether it's the metro in Paris or Portugal or the German U-Bahn, or one of the many subways throughout North America.

All are the descendants of the London Underground, which developed in the 19th century. But why there and then? And what impact did it have on Britain and the rest of the world? We'll answer these questions and more tonight. So, just relax and let your mind drift, as we explore the sleepy history of the London Underground. It's the 10th of January 1863, and something is happening at Kings Cross London.

The streets surround the train station seem quieter than usual, while the station itself is bustling. Crowds of people, dressed in Victorian attire, form a procession beneath the newly erected archway. disappearing from view as they descend the staircase. Locals and tourists, people of all ages, have come here to catch a new kind of train. There'll be the first passengers on the London Underground, a steam locomotive that travels beneath the ground. It's a feat of engineering that was inconceivable to many, before Britain underwent its industrial revolution.

Just 60 years ago, train travel was unheard of. For distances too long for walking, the only option was a horse and carriage. Some people here at King's Cross might remember the first passenger locomotive, which opened in northeast England in 1825, less than 40 years ago. And now, here they are, catching a train underground. It's as though they're entering a secret world beneath the city streets. To the 38,000 people who will travel on the London Underground today, it must seem like technology is advancing at a tremendous rate.

This progress is the result of great manpower and effort, the work of countless individuals. The Industrial Revolution first began in the 1750s. Britain was the first nation to modernize, introducing the machinery that enabled mass production. The Industrial Revolution transformed Britain and every aspect of Victorian life, from what people ate and how they heated their homes,

to how they worked, traveled, socialized, and more. People who'd worked as farmers in the countryside moved to take jobs in the towns and cities. The invention of the steam train further sped up migration, allowing families to relocate or commute more easily. As profits soared and industry grew, so did urban populations. In 1600, England's capital, London, was home to around 200,000 people. By 1800, there were more than a million residents.

And by 1860, the population had tripled to over 3 million. The capital city was the heart of the British Empire, an empire at the peak of its wealth and renown. London had become a large bustling city, one of the most prosperous in the world. It was a hub of trade and commerce and the place to be for many working people. Bank clans, chimney sweeps, domestic servants, businessmen. Skilled and unskilled workers came to London in droves. It was the home of British royalty and the government,

as well as factory workers, entertainers, shopkeepers and labourers. However, the medieval city wasn't equipped to cope with such a rapid influx of people. Its narrow roads and cobblestone streets hadn't been designed for this much traffic. People on foot had to navigate around vehicles, including horse-drawn carriages, stagecoaches and wagons, and farmers leading cows and other animals to market. Then there were the merchants pushing carts full of wares, some with large vending trays tied around their neck and shoulders. By the late 1850s, London was in a state of near constant deadlock.

Congestion was hampering the efficiency of the workforce and slowing down the progress and process. of the Empire. It was only then, with the situation becoming desperate, that those in power began to seek solutions. They finally started to listen to men like Charles Pearson, who'd been campaigning for an underground railway for over a decade. Pearson was a lawyer and politician who worked in the district known as the City of London. This is a ceremonial county within the capital, covering just over one square mile of the city centre. Pearson lobbied for the construction of an underground railway, seeing it as a solution to the ongoing congestion.

He distributed pamphlets, proposing a railway where trains were pushed along by compressed air in the tunnels. Pearson was ahead of his time. The technology wasn't quite there yet, and the notion of an underground was met with widespread ridicule. Undeterred, Pearson would continue to lobby for the better part of the next two decades. No amount of mockery or rejection could dissuade him. He was convinced that the underground would improve the city. His perseverance paid off in the end, and in 1854, a governmental committee agreed to the construction of an underground railway.

It would run between Farringdon on the city's outskirts and Paddington in central London. This is what Pearson had been campaigning for over decades, raising millions of pounds for the project, and all without any personal gain. He'd even refused a reward from the railway company. Sadly, Pearson wouldn't live to see the underground in action. He died in September 1862, just a few months before it opened. As a show of thanks for her husband's achievements, Pearson's widow was granted the sum of £250 annually, a decent amount of money at the time.

Without Pearson's tireless advocacy, the underground wouldn't have come into existence as early as it did. After all, British newspapers had canvassed against it. It would be a giant waste of money, according to the Times. Surely, no one would want to use the noisy underground tunnels. They'd be dark, smoky, and full of rats and sewage. Public opinion only worsened when work began in 1860. Tunnels were built using the cut-and-cover method, causing a great deal of disruption to the city streets. First, roads were closed, and sometimes the structures above were removed or reinforced. Then, a large, shallow trench would be dug below the surface. Railway tracks would be laid and a tunnel formed around them. A brick archway wide enough for dual tracks. The final step was to fill in the trench and rebuild the street's surface above the tunnel.

In Bayswater, near Hyde Park, fake houses were built to hide a section of uncovered tracks. The houses are still standing today. While they look real enough, there's nothing to be. behind the facades. All things considered, it's hardly surprising that the general public were less than enthused. Before it became the tube, many Londoners called it the sewer line, because the trenches built to hide it resembled large storm drains. Even so, when the underground opened in 1863, Londoners flocked in their thousands to use it. On its first day, the world's first underground train carried 38,000 passengers between Paddington and Farringdon.

The newspapers had been wrong to think that people wouldn't use it. In the first year, there were nine million passengers. However, the papers weren't far off in their unflattering descriptions. In the early days, taking the tube was a somewhat unpleasant experience. For one thing, the wooden carriages were often cramped and uncomfortable, particularly for those travelling in second or third class. Secondly, the train itself was a steam locomotive. It had been borrowed from the Great Western Railway by the Metropolitan Railway, a company

who had built the first line. Steam trains at the time represented the peak of technology. But they also produced great clouds of smoke. As the carriages had poor ventilation, passengers were forced to breathe it in. In an enclosed tunnel, the smoke had nowhere to go. But despite all this, millions saw the underground as their best option. It was so much quicker than any alternative. A journey that usually took hours now took just 18 minutes.

even including stops along the way. Many were willing to brave the smoke, if it meant their commute was so much shorter. And as a result, the capital reaped the benefits. Workers were more productive and businesses became more profitable. The underground helped London to grow, from the industry, manufacturing and commerce within the city, to the suburban residences popping up around the outskirts.

Now that it was possible to commute in quickly, affordable housing outside the city became more appealing. However, as population growth continued to accelerate, congestion worsened. It quickly became necessary to build more underground railways to clear the traffic on the streets above. Over the next 50 years, the London Underground would grow rapidly, just like the city itself. Lines were extended and stocks added. New lines included the district line, which opened on Christmas Eve in 1868.

It ran between South Kensington and Westminster in central London. The first circular service began to be. in 1884, it contained part of the Metropolitan Line, running between Paddington and Farringdon. At South Kensington, it connected to the District Line, forming a circular route across London. The Metropolitan Line and District Line were run by two different companies. Although they operated the circular route together, the companies were competitors and rivals. This sometimes led to service issues, such as delays and breakdowns. The shallow tunnels are still in use today as part of the Underground's Circle Line.

It's quite remarkable, considering when they were built, using technology invented in the 19th century. Mark Isambard Brunel invented the first tunneling shield, using it to excavate the Thames tunnel, in 1843. Working alongside him was his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the most important engineers of the Industrial Age, and a railway pioneer, among other things. The Thames Tunnel, the world's first underwater tunnel, was initially used by pedestrians. It only became part of the underground many years later. The design of the shield used to build tunnels was improved upon throughout the course of the century.

In 1868, the engineer Peter Barlow patented the addition of a wrought iron shield. Although Barlow never actually built the shield, his pupil did. James Henry Greathead. The Greathead Shield, as it came to be known, would be used to dig the first deep-level tube beneath the River Thames. This tunnel was much deeper than the earlier Thames Tunnel. Tracks were laid, and from August 1870, passengers were able to ride the underground beneath the river.

However, the company that operated the tunnel filed for bankruptcy just months later. The tunnel was then converted into a pedestrian walkway, known as the Tower Subway. Despite this initial setback, the Great Head Shield would play an important part in the development of the London Underground. The shield resembled a giant metal cylinder, pushed horizontally through the ground like a cookie cutter through dough. The front of the shield was open and split into different frames, where workers dug manually, removing soil from each section. Next, the hydraulic jacks kicked in, forcing the shield forward bit by bit.

The back of the machine was closed off for safety, but others were busy behind the shield installing precast iron segments. These made up the tunnel's roof and lining. The Great Head Shield enabled the rapid expansion of underground rail. It was faster, stronger, safer and more efficient than any machine that had gone before it. Better still, it meant that tunnels could be built without the disruption of the cut-and-cover method. Shafts were built on the surface, allowing access to workers and equipment. But there was no need to dig up roads, because the majority of the work was carried out below ground.

Another benefit of building deep-level railways was that it put more distance between the train lines and the electrical infrastructure above the surface. This reduced the risk of interference when trains switched from steam to electric. The City and South London Railway was the first to be built using the Great Head Shield method. Initially, the railway ran from King William Street in the South London Railway. William Street in the city to Stockwell, South London, travelling beneath the River Thames. Opened to the public in 1890, it was the world's first underground electric train. It relied on power generated at a purpose-built station, which used steam-powered generators to provide direct current. A third rail, positioned beside the train tracks, carried 500,

volts to power the train. A contact shoe on the train made contact as it moved, passing current to the train's motor. This was then converted into mechanical energy, which powered the wheels and propelled the train onwards. It's not too dissimilar from how an electric toy train might work. And in the early days, it was about as predictable, given the technological challenges.

electrical equipment had to be small enough that it could be lowered down the shaft and fitted within a train. Yet, at the same time, it had to be very powerful in order to move such a heavy load. One of the biggest teething problems for the first electric train was that the current wasn't distributed evenly across the line. Trains sometimes lost power as they moved further away from the power station. So, a train might simply stop in an underground tunnel, leaving the passengers temporarily stuck in the dark. However, this happened less frequently from the 1900s thanks to the implementation of the four rail system.

Alongside two track rails for the train to run on, there was a positive rail on the outside and a negative rail between the tracks. To an extent, it worked like the three rail system. Current flowed between the positive rail and the train, powering its motor and moving the wheels. But then, current was returned to the negative rail, sending the used power back to its original source. With this new system, it was possible for trains to maintain 630 volts of balanced current. could hold power and keep running, and there was less risk of stray currents, endangering people near the lines. Less electricity leakage meant less risk of corrosion to the network of infrastructure

surrounding the tunnels. Things like water pipes and telephone wires were vital to the city, and needed to be protected as much as possible. After the advent of steam trains and the underground, underground, electric trains must have felt like another leap forward. Perhaps the biggest advantage, as far as passengers were concerned, was no longer having to inhale great lungfuls of smoke. But it was still a far cry from luxury travel, even by the standards of the time. Carriages were referred to as sardine boxes because they were so uncomfortable, So cramped and crowded.

Of course, they were crowded because they were being used. Over 14 million passengers traveled on the Circle Line in 1905, its first year of service. This and the District Railway, later the District Line, were the first to use the four rail system. When the underground first opened, trains had been split into three classes. Customers could pay more for a first-class ticket, enjoying padded seats and a little more space. Some trains, however, made no class distinctions, as is the case on the underground today. This included the City and South London Railway, which cost two pence to ride no matter how far you were going. The system was already common in the US, which is where train carriages were imported from for a period.

Camelback carriages, made by General Electric in the US, were brought to London during the transition from steam to electricity. They were similar to the carriages already in use, but had a raised compartment in the middle of the train. This was the hump that gave the camelback its name. It allowed the driver a better view of the platform. Camelbacks were early examples of electrical multiple-use. units, also known as Emus. Whereas previously, the train had only one motor, located at its front in the locomotive, Emus had controls distributed across the train.

There were motors under each carriage and at the end of the train, so each one could move on its own. Powering the train became a shared job, which meant quicker acceleration, among other things. Locomotives had needed uncoupling at the end of the line so that the train could make its return journey, whereas EMUs could travel in either direction, so the driver could simply shut down the carriage at one end of the train, walk along the platform, and get in at the other end. Such improvements were the result of a huge team effort between those who designed and manufactured the technology

and those who actually put it in place, from the vast army of workers who built the deep tube lines to the engineers and electricians who got the trains up and running. The drivers and signal operators kept things running smoothly aboard the train, while staff at each station did the same on the platforms. And we mustn't forget those at the top, the management who made such things possible. One of those men was Charles Tyson Yerkes, an American financier who moved to London in 1900.

He's a figure who stands out in the history of the underground, a man committed to bringing the tube into the 20th century. A notorious philanderer who'd been convicted of embezzlement, Yerkees was certainly an interesting character. He'd grown very wealthy as a businessman in Chicago, where he helped to develop the local transit. system. Despite his reputation as a somewhat shady figure, Yerkes wasn't short of those willing to join him when he founded the UERL in 1902. This was the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, of which Yerkes appointed himself the chairman. Constructing train lines was an expensive and risky business, but Yerkes was adept at building capital, a person. A person who's than investment was only a fraction of his fortune, and it built confidence in the business from

an early stage. Investors from Europe, and a great many from the states, were sold shares and bonds in exchange for their funding. It was a distinctly American approach to finance, one that proved incredibly successful. Yorkies raised the equivalent to over a billion dollars today, enough to put his plans into action. He orchestrated a takeover of the district railway, a company being on its way to financial ruin. Then he electrified the district line, which had opened in 1868, running between East and West London. Alongside his wealth, Yerkes brought contacts, technology and ideas from overseas. This would prove useful in the construction of three major tunnels, the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines and what would later become the Northern line.

These deep-level tubes would all be electric and fed current from a newly built power plant. Located on Lott's Road in Chelsea, it was the largest power station in the world, providing a centralized energy supply across the network. For all his faults, Yerkes was a major. man with vision. His goal was to transform the underground from a hodgepodge of disconnected railways into a unified transport network that was modern and profitable. Yerkes employed the architect Leslie Green to help bring this vision to life. Green gave the underground a uniform style that was typically Edwardian and full of flair.

Station facades were decorated with ox-blood red tiles and featured large semicircular windows that let in the light. The names of the stations stood out on large white tiles, forming glossy banners against the red background. Inside the stations, common colours included cream, maroon and a distinctive emerald green. Lettering was often fired onto glazed wall tiles, so signposts and directions looked like artwork. Green ceramic tiles included Art Nouveau molding, forming borders of swirling leaves along walls and walkways. Sadly, Leslie Green passed away in 2008 at just 33 years old. But he left the underground with its signature style, one, but still visible in many stations today.

Yerkes had passed away a few years earlier in 1905. The businessman Albert Stanley had since taken the reins at the UERL. Stanley quickly proved to be as ambitious as his predecessor, and, just like Yerkes, he had a vision. He planned to coordinate and integrate all of London's transport, improving service and profits across the board. First, he set about buying London's bus companies, the industry now booming thanks to the invention of petrol engines.

It was a strategic move that turned the underground's competitors into part of an integrated transport network. Next, Stanley began coordinating services, matching branding, fares and timings with the undercurrent. Underground. Buses could funnel passengers from the suburbs to the underground, providing customers with a seamless service. This wasn't as easy with electric trams, because many services at the time were owned by local authorities. Nonetheless, Stanley was successful in coordinating some timetables and having tram stops placed near underground stations,

where they could feed passengers into the tube. Frank Pick was the man in charge of design and branding. He picked up where Leslie Green had left off, creating a unified aesthetic that became synonymous with the underground. Pick's vision extended beyond the station's architecture. No detail was too small to be considered. From seat upholstery to map design, posters to street signs. The underground was given a visual identity.

Key to this was the adoption of a new logo, a forebear of the one still used today. The station name was written in white on a navy blue bar in the center of a solid red circle. Picks' attempts at branding must have been successful because it was only after 1908, when the logo was introduced that the name Underground found its way into general use. The name became part of everyday vocabulary, just as taking the underground became part of daily life.

By 1914, it was the lifeblood of the capital, with around 180 stations and many miles of track. The suburbs on the outskirts were growing just as quickly. In part, thanks to companies like Metropolitan Railway, they bought land and built housing estates near underground stations, which essentially allowed them to double their earnings. Companies profited initially from the sale of the house and then on a daily basis from residents traveling on the tube. A side effect of this was that,

New communities were formed, over time, developing their own culture and identity. Often, stations were at the heart of these communities, while shops, cinemas, pubs and so on, allowed the area to be somewhat self-sufficient. That being said, it had never been easier to take a day trip into London, to go shopping, dine out, stroll in a park, or see a show. Indeed, such things were actively encouraged in a revolutionary poster campaign led by Frank Pick. Leading artists of the time were commissioned by Pick to showcase tourist sites like London Zoo and Q Gardens. They advertised events like the Thames Boat Race and Summer Sales, selling a London lifestyle alongside tickets to the

the tube. London and the underground became inextricably connected, a connection that only deepened during wartime. During the air raids of the First World War, thousands sought refuge underground. At times, the tunnels became a shelter to up to 300,000 people daily. They were also widely used during the Second World War. Between 1939 and 1945, it's estimated that there were 63 million shelter visits to the underground. The tunnels were at their busiest during the Blitz, when London was hammered by frequent bombing. Thousands slept on the platforms and de-electrified tracks, while some trains had three-tiered bunk beds. Makeshift facilities included toilets and first aid posts and canteens selling hot and cold

food. At Bethnal Green in East London, there was even an underground library. The underground also had other uses. One station housed artifacts from the British Museum, like the Elgin Marbles, and another station in the city centre was secretly repurposed as the headquarters of Britain's railways. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, sometimes took refuge in the bunker and held meetings for his war cabinet. Maintaining railways was vital to the war effort, both on the overground and the underground. Tube services like mail rail, which began operations in 1927, delivered letters and parcels beneath the capital, ensuring the flow of information. Once the Second World War was over, the repair work began, and projects that had been delayed,

were put into motion. By then, the tube was government-owned, alongside London's trams and buses. The London Passenger Transport Board was the forerunner of what would later become Transport for London, or TFL. TFL was established in the year 2000 to oversee the city's transport system, though improvements to the tube began long before. Over the decades, wooden carriages have been relegated to museums. Stations have become better ventilated and seats more comfortable. In recent years, new technology has led to automation, from sliding doors on trains to self-scanning ticket barriers.

It's allowed trains to travel faster and to run more smoothly, providing a service for passengers that's both safer and more. comfortable. However, one of the biggest improvements came very early on with a new kind of map published in 1933. It was designed by Harry Beck, an engineering draftsman with a focus on being clear and easy to understand. This was very different from the maps that went before it. Although they were geographically accurate, they were also confusing with the wavy lines resembling spaghetti. Beck's map wasn't concerned with geography. In fact, it didn't look like London at all. It was essentially a network of color-coded

straight lines, intersected at 90 or 45-degree angles. A modern version of Beck's map is still used on the underground today, a map that helps people to get where they're going. So iconic, that it's printed on mugs and teetails. It's also a map that inspired others. You'll see ones just like it on the New York subway and the Sydney, Paris, and St. Petersburg metros. Britain had shown the world a means of managing congestion, one that countless other cities aimed to replicate.

It's remarkable to think of Charles Pearson and the mockery he faced when he began began his campaign for the underground back in the 19th century. Today, a world without subways or metros would probably meet the same reaction.