Open House Festival

A Quick History of the Tube

walk/tour

Meet: Outside Costa Coffee kiosk at London Paddington Station, W2 1HQ

Explore some of the oldest – and newest – parts of London's underground rail infrastructure as you learn about the world’s first passenger underground railway and hear about its impact on the built environment. From saving London from traffic chaos in the 1850s to fuelling its expansion ever since, it's a fascinating tale of human ingenuity – and property speculation!

Getting there

Tube

Paddington

Train

Paddington

Bus

23, 16, 205, 27, 36

Additional travel info

Meet at the Costa kiosk at the rear of Paddington Station opposite the entrance to Hammersmith & City lines (platforms 15 and 16)

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

We will be travelling on some of the older parts of the Underground network where step-free access is not available.

What you can expect

Much of the tour is underground. It will involve 1.5 miles of walking, travel by train, the use of escalators and the climbing of stairs.

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Activities

Sun 14 Sep

Walking tour

09:30–11:30

A Quick History of the Tube

Because of its nature, the capacity of this tour is limited , so please do not turn up without a booking.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Sun 21 Sep

Walking tour

09:30–11:30

A Quick History of the Tube

Because of its nature, the capacity of this tour is limited , so please do not turn up without a booking.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

About

Tour Content

If you think congestion is bad in central London, you should have been here for the 1851 Great Exhibition. It was gridlock! This and the rapid growth of London in the 1800s led to the incredible venture that became the world's first passenger underground railway.

Join us as we follow the path of that first Tube line, exploring the enormous impact on London’s geography of a system which now accommodates 4 million passenger journeys per day. We will explore some key sites and stations in central London as we go through time to finish with a journey on the Elizabeth Line, the latest addition to London’s underground infrastructure.

Your Guide

Since he first travelled on it as a child, Alex has continued to be fascinated by all aspects of the Tube. He works in education and has led a wide variety of trips nationally and internationally for young people. Alex is an alumni of Open City’s Golden Key Academy.

Please note...

Whilst this tour is free, it incorporates travel over parts of the London Underground network. This travel is chargeable in the normal way and, therefore, participants will need an Oyster Card or contactless card valid for Zone 1 travel. Three individual Zone 1 journeys will be required which, by themselves, will cost a total of £8.70. However, as there is daily charge cap of £8.90 for unlimited travel in Zones 1 & 2, depending on where you have travelled from, the actual cost of the journeys required for the tour may well be significantly cheaper than £8.70.

Who is this tour for?

This tour is for anyone interested in finding out more about the London Underground and its history. All are welcome, but this trip is particularly suitable for those less familiar with London.

Golden Key Academy

This tour is led by a graduate of Open City’s Golden Key Academy - an eight-month course designed to train insightful and engaging guides who bring London’s rich stories to life.

Learn more about the Golden Key Academy here: open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy

Online presence

limitlesslondon.uk

Nearby

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