Tube trains could've had wooden wheels. Image: Phillip Ridlen, Unsplash License

"Screeeeeeeeeeeee!"

The toe-curling squeal of steel alloy wheels grinding on Tube tracks is enough to make you leap up from your moquette seat and yell: "ARE WE SURE WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING, PEOPLE?!"

Londoners in 1930 were going through the same frustrations. By this time, cast iron wheels had been ditched in favour of steel, but the grinding of metal on metal often remained insufferable.

And then an inventor by the initial-heavy name of A. A. D. Lang suggested he might have the solution: wooden wheels.

Lang was no crackpot. A successful inventor, he'd created a laminated wooden propellor built up via layers of thin wood. After five years of tinkering, his company, Lang Wheels, introduced a similar design for wooden wheels, created by layering discs of wood on top of one another, and cementing them firmly together. "Each layer," explained the Herald of Wales, "is composed of six sectors of specialy [sic] chosen spruce, so arranged that the grain of each sector runs in a different direction. The layers are placed on top of one another in such a way that the joints between the sectors of one do not coincide with those of the other."

Image: from the Herald of Wales, July 1930, courtesy of Newspapers.com

As well as being lighter and less noisy than steel, the wheels were supposedly 'immune to moisture or heat', plus there was a suggestion they were actually more resilient than steel. Lang had already shown off the strength of his wheels during War Office trials for gun carriages, held in Woolwich. The wheels had been run on tracks for a distance of 192 miles, before being subjected to machine gun fire and shelling. After which, they were still fine.

Interest in Lang's wheels was understandably high, and test wheels were made for the London Underground Railway and London Tramways, as well as for the Manchester Corporation. Mr Murray Griffiths, Director of the London District and Underground Railways, hailed the invention as "A wheel that will wear, and that will obviate the terrible noise we now experience in our towns." Griffiths went on to say he was quite satisfied that the wooden wheels would go on to be used on the railways.

Wooden wheels never became a thing. Image: Ketut Subiyanto, Pexels License

Meanwhile, Lang challenged the Central London Railway to stick a mic in one of its carriages to record the noise, before refitting the carriage with one of his wooden wheels and doing the same again.

These were thrilling times for screech-phobes. So what happened with Lang's wooden wheels? Well, we're not entirely sure. The records fall silent about the experiments. Perhaps subsequent tests saw the wheels crack, splinter, catch fire or all of the above. The whole 'machine gun fire' thing did sound incredulous after all. As far as we know, wooden wheels were never properly, well, rolled out on the London Underground.

Lang Wheels carried on regardless; in 1933 they diversified into the fairground and theme park game, quickly trebling its workforce to manufacture roundabouts, dodgems, autodromes and the like. The screeching from those riding on such contraptions would have matched the wheels on any Tube train. But at least in this case, the passengers were having fun.

Adapted from a feature that first appeared in August 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

This is actually a sculpture, on a quiet road near Canary Wharf. Image: Matt Brown

9 December 1868 is a doubly important date in world history. In the city of Breslau in Prussia, Fritz Jakob Haber vacated his mother’s womb and settled down for his first feed. 40 years later he would develop the ammonia-producing Haber process, which now feeds half the planet (through fertilisers), and kills vast numbers of people (through explosives). Haber was, arguably, the most consequential scientist of all time.

On the same day as his birth, the world’s first traffic light was unveiled in Westminster.

It was a spectacle. The contraption behaved like a railway signal, but towered six metres (20 feet) over the carriageway, with a trio of four-foot arms and a glowing headpiece, “like a dovecote”. Here’s a press image from the time:

The Westminster street semaphore, from the Illustrated Times, 16 January 1869. Copyright the British Library Board via the British Newspaper Archive.

This “frightful monument,” as one letter-writer saw it, was quite alien, like something from the pages of HG Wells (though not yet; he was currently toddling around his parents’ china shop a few miles away in Bromley). It might have been a “gratuitous hideousness” (another letter-writer), but the street semaphore was sorely needed.

Victorian London was a crazed clopjumble of horse-drawn traffic, all vying for progress along the ill-paved streets. The rules of the road had yet to be codified. Nobody indicated. Nobody had assumed priority. It was a dung-scented free-for-all.

Well, not quite. The busier junctions enjoyed the superintendence of a policeman. The short arm of the law would bend, stretch, and beckon, to let drivers know when it was their turn to proceed. It must have been a hellish job. Many policeman were injured amid the vehicular maelstrom.

One junction had a particularly bad reputation. This is the one where Parliament Street runs into Parliament Square and the approach to Westminster Bridge… the junction nearest Big Ben. It’s still a wretched grimfest today, but back in the 1868 it was a right old snarl up. Two Members of Parliament had recently been injured trying to cross on foot, while a traffic policeman had been killed earlier in the year. The spot was chosen, then, for Britain’s (and the world’s) first traffic lights.

A “dreadful portent”

The brains behind the scheme was John Peake Knight, a respected superintendent on the South Eastern Railway. Knight had a simple idea: that signals like those used on the railways might also tame London’s road traffic.

His experimental apparatus was duly installed at the Westminster junction, roughly where the Winston Churchill statue stands today. It did not look much like a modern traffic light. For daytime operation, a semaphore system could start and stop the traffic by the raising or lowering of mechanical arms. Only at night, when red- and green-filtered gas lamps were used, did the system look the part. None of this was done automatically, of course. A policeman still had to stand on the island and operate the device, and he was usually backed up by more than one colleague to help further manage the flow with gesticulations.

Should you accidentally ‘quantum leap’ into the body of an 1860s coachman, then you’ll need to know how to understand the signal. Happily, this contemporary information sheet has survived in the archives:

Richard Mayne, whose name appears at the bottom, was head of the Metropolitan Police… or, at least, he was for a few more days. He died at the end of December 1868 while the trial was still ongoing. Image: Public domain.

Simply put, you were free to guide your vehicle forwards unless both arms were in the horizontal, or the red signal lamp was illuminated. Notice that the sign mentions a pedestrian crossing. This was actually the whole point of the exercise. This first traffic light was a binary: either it was on to all vehicles or off to all vehicles. The arms could not be moved independently. During the ‘stop’ phase, all traffic halted and pedestrians were able to cross (in all directions) safely. During the ‘go’ phase, traffic would proceed in all directions, with some orchestration from a policemen. You’d be mad to try and cross on foot.

The traffic lights had some initial success. "The regular town drivers are fairly, and to quite an unexpected extent, amenable to the signals," thought the Illustrated Times, soon after the lights were installed.

A plaque to John Peake Knight near the Westminster junction he tried to tame. Image: Matt Brown

Others were more skeptical. One commentator, on approaching the “Dreadful Portent” from Westminster Bridge, asked his driver what it was. “Another o' them fakements put up to wex the poor cabbies,” came the reply. A more serious limitation was the manpower needed. The signal still required a police presence. The lights and semaphore reinforced the hand gestures of the constabulary, but didn’t replace them.

Appearances aside, these early traffic lights were simply not good enough. Many drivers did not understand what the angled semaphore blades were supposed to indicate. Others ignored them. The technology often broke down. In January 1869, a gas leak caused an explosion at the base of the semaphore, badly burning the face of the police operator.

The lights lingered on for a few more months, but constant breakdowns and general ineffectiveness led to their removal by the end of the year. Semaphore systems were adopted elsewhere, but London would not see further signalling for many decades. The roll-out of traffic lights in London was proving to be a stop-start affair.

The first electric traffic lights

Regular readers may recall that London’s first traffic island was supposedly installed at the top of St James’s Street in 1864. Remarkably, London’s first electronic traffic lights were anchored to that very same spot.

Eight sets of lights were placed along Piccadilly — between the Circus and Clarges Street. They were switched on on 3 August 1926, to coincide with the remodelling of traffic flow in Piccadilly Circus. Much as today, London’s first lights had three colours: green to go, red to stop, and amber to be ‘ready for a change’. This time, London was behind the curve. Electric traffic lights had been in limited use in the United States for over a decade by this point, and numerous European cities had also dabbled.

The locations of London’s first eight traffic lights, as deduced from newspaper reports of the time. The blue house symbol represents the control booth on St James’s Street. Image: Matt Brown in Google MyMaps.

Circuitry wasn’t yet reliable enough for an automatic system. Rather, the lights were overseen by “a perspiring policeman in full uniform, including helmet,” perched inside a grey, glass-fronted booth on St James’s Street. The poor fellow would sit there squinting down the road, pushing buttons for hours on end, and sequentially scrolling through the phases on each signal.

These light signals were not for the direct benefit of drivers. Rather, they were intended as cues for the regular traffic police, who were stationed at each set of lights, to perform the customary gestures. This was, after all, an experimental system, and motorists had no previous experience at obeying coloured lights. The chief benefit was that one man could now coordinate the entire street, rather than the existing anarchy of independent junctions.

A policeman on point duty at Piccadilly Circus in 1911. Image: public domain

The Piccadilly lights were of limited success. Traffic flow was judged to be improved, but the mixture of a beckoning human and a guiding light caused confusion. The police on point duty could not always see their lights, which then as now were hooded. “A hundred times a day, drivers are waved out of Bond-street into Piccadilly be the policemen on point duty, although the signal at the corner is set to danger," reported the Evening News one month into the trial. “Similarly, a hundred times a day drivers see the green and think all is well for straight ahead, and find that the policeman will not let them pass”.

These mixed messages, and the sheer cost of employing so many members of His Majesty’s Constabulary on traffic duties (around 1,300 across town at any given time) meant that moves towards a fully automatic system were inevitable. London was again slow to adopt such a system. Detroit had automated lights as early as 1921, and the technology was widespread in North America by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, various towns across the UK, including Hastings and Wolverhampton, held their own trials before London.

The first large-scale system in central London was installed in Trafalgar Square in 1933. It was surprisingly sophisticated. The lights were informed by pressure sensors on the road surface, which relayed information about traffic levels on different approaches. Drivers were even given filter arrows, which allowed traffic to turn from the National Gallery onto Charing Cross Road, even though other directions were on ‘red’. These pioneering lights had their teething issues, but were quickly deemed a success. 14 police officers were reassigned from traffic duty.

Trafalgar Square is today notable for its novelty pedestrian lights, which feature various designs inspired by Pride and the LGBT+ community. This one has a subtle heart between the figures. Image: Matt Brown

Automatic lights enjoyed their finest hour in November 1937, when “the biggest unit of traffic signals in the world” was installed at Piccadilly Circus. The “robot master mind” controlling the junction was officially named “Little Eva”. This box of wonders received signals from nine detectors on approach roads, and could vary the phase times according to demand. It was estimated at the time that Little Eva would save some £3,600 a year on police time, and provide a smoother flow as well. Pedestrians were an after-thought. According to one news report: “The loud speakers of a police car continually barked: "Use the subways, they are safer!" but few people did so.”

From that point on, it was a big green GO for traffic lights in London. They spread across the city and country like a tricoloured rash, and remain a key part of road infrastructure today.

Now, there’s an unwritten rule of feature writing that your final paragraphs should always include a call-back to the opening paragraphs. How on earth am I going to pivot back to Fritz Haber? Well, watch this manoeuvre…

Another of those early traffic light set-ups was placed at the corner of Southampton Row and Russell Square at some point in 1932-33, during measures to disentangle an experimental one-way system. It was at precisely this time that Fritz Haber made a series of short visits to London. He almost certainly stayed in the Russell Hotel, right next to the traffic lights.

Long-time readers of this newsletter will know how important this particular set of traffic lights proved to be. It was here, also in 1933, that one of the most important thoughts in human history took place. While on his way to the Russell Hotel (the same one Haber used), the physicist Leo Szilard paused at the crossing to wait for the traffic to stop. It was then that he had a ‘Eureka moment’ in which he conceptualised the nuclear chain reaction — the process that would lead to both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Szilard is therefore a rival to Fritz Haber as the most consequential scientist who ever lived. One was born on the same day as the traffic light, and the other was inspired by one. Like the road-traffic control network, everything is connected.

After that unhinged conclusion, I’ll sign off with some music. Behold, this uplifting ode to traffic lights by Monty Python:

Image courtesy First Rail London

Four new community roundels have been installed at Bethnal Green station.

Head over to Bethnal Green station (the Overground one, not the Underground) and you'll find that it's been decorated with four eye-catching roundel mosaics.

Each one was pieced together at community workshops with contributions "from babies as young as six months old to residents aged 85".

The mosaics are inspired by the Weaver line, which runs through the station and is itself named for the rich textile history of the area. Look closely at the artworks and you'll see numerous references to Huguenot weavers, bobbins, warps, wefts and looms.

Image courtesy First Rail London

The roundels also weave in references to other features of the area, such as Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, the Museum of Childhood and even local bus routes. Some of the tesserae namecheck local notables such as textile designer Anna Maria Garthwaite and boxer Daniel Mendoza.

The project was overseen by Maud Milton of Artyface, who has created mosaic roundels for numerous Overground stations. This batch were created with the help of First Rail London (who operate the Overground on behalf of TfL), Good Shepherd Mission and Young V&A.

Image courtesy First Rail London

These are such joyous objects, which not only look gorgeous but also involve local communities. We can only hope that similar creations one day beautify every station on the network.

See Tube trains in miniature. Image: Les Chatfield via creative commons

A chance to see scaled-down Tube trains do their thing.

You might already know about King's Cross' Model Railway Club (MRC). We visited in 2023 (watch our video further down in this article), and even if you're not altogether au fait with your OO gauges or Tenshodo coreless motor bogies, it's magical to admire the functioning layouts — each one thousands of painstaking hours of passionate craft in the making.

On Sunday 6 September 2026, things take a decidedly London-centric turn, as the MRC teams up with the London Underground Railway Society for London's Transport in Miniature.

At this special one-day exhibition — which anyone can attend (it's £10 if you buy tickets in advance) — you'll see various layouts including the fictional/semi-fictional Waddesdon Manor, Carlton Vale and Lammas Lane. Made by the likes of people with names like 'Underground Eric', the sheer attention to detail has to be seen to be believed.

The club's flagship Copenhagen Fields — an interwar reimagining of the area to the immediate north of King's Cross, complete with with street running trams in Caledonian Road and both Piccadilly line stations at York Road and Caledonian Road — will be on display. Check out a few images of what to expect on the website.

Snacks and drinks will also be available to buy.

London’s Transport in Miniature at the Model Railway Club, 6 September 2026, 11am-4pm

Adapted from a feature that first appeared in August 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

A cartoon from 1831 lampooning bus travel. Image on display at London Transport Museum, photographed by Matt Brown

Should you ever find yourself miraculously transported back to pre-Victorian days, then you will assuredly want to ride on one of the new-fangled London omnibuses, recently introduced by Mr George Shillibeer (see the previous article).

These early buses came with their own codes of conduct, just as today we all habitually stand on the right-hand side of escalators and give up our seats for those in greater need (well, some of us do).

In January 1836, The Times codified these rules for their readership. Here they are, with my own comments in square parentheses.

The Laws of the Omnibus

The omnibus could get a little cramped. To reduce conflict, a set of norms and courtesies developed. This engraving is from 1859, some 30 years after the first omnibuses. Image: Public domain

1. Keep your feet off the seats.
[Still a good one to observe. In the 1830s, feet would have been all the dirtier, thanks to a preponderance of horse dung.]

2. Do not get into a snug corner yourself, and then open the windows to admit a northwester upon the neck of your neighbour.
[To this day, I occasionally hear cries of ‘can you shut the window please’ on the top deck in wintertime.]

3. Have your money ready when you desire to alight. If your time is not valuable, that of others may be.
[A forerunner of the message played in Tube elevators that reminds us to have ‘Oyster Cards, tickets and PAYG cards ready for the barriers’. Omnibuses, it seems, charged passengers at the point at which they got off.]

4. Do not impose on the conductor the necessity of finding you change; he is not a banker.
[Typical fares were a shilling or 6d. Most passengers would have coins to these values in their purse. Bank notes were not normally used for day-to-day transactions at this point.]

5. Sit with your limbs straight, and do not let your legs describe an angle of forty-five, thereby occupying the room of two persons.
[Is this the first description in recorded history of manspreading?]

6. Do not spit upon the straw. You are not in a hog-sty, but in an omnibus, travelling in a country which boasts of its refinement.
[If this vehicle is so refined, you might ask, then why is there straw on the floor in the first place? It functioned as a renewable floor covering, which could be swept out and replaced once it had got too claggy with mud and horse dung. Spitting was not uncommon in Regency and Victorian times thanks to high rates of smoking and snuff use. I suspect that the sooty fogs of the age would also have irritated the airways, encouraging a surfeit of phlegm.]

The Victorians were not known for succinctness. This verbose ‘No Spitting’ sign is from a railway, but similar signs might have appeared on the omnibus. Image: Matt Brown

7. Behave respectfully to females, and put not an unprotected lass to the blush because she cannot escape from your brutality.
[Shudders.]

8. If you bring a dog, let him be small and confined by a string.
[Lapdogs only. Early omnibuses could be cramped spaces, so not an acceptable domain for a mastiff. Modern London buses allow dogs of all shapes and sizes, but they must be kept on a lead and off the seats.]

9. Do not introduce large parcels; an omnibus is not a van.
[Worth remembering if you were going to try and sneak your friend on in a crate.]

10. Reserve bickerings and disputes for the open field. The sound of your own voice may be music to your own ears—not so, perhaps, to those of your companions.
[A rule still observed to this day on the Tube, where even the most nugatory comment is frowned upon. Silence is golden. Not so on the buses, where you’re now almost guaranteed an intense auditory experience on the top deck.]

11. If you will broach politics or religion, speak with moderation; all have an equal right to their opinions, and all have an equal right not to have them wantonly shocked.
[Can we have that one over on social media today, please?]

12. Refrain from affectation and conceited airs. Remember you are riding a distance for sixpence which, if made in a hackney-coach, would cost you as many shillings; and that should your pride elevate you above plebeian accommodations, your purse should enable you to command aristocratic indulgences.
[The 19th century equivalent of moaning that the Piccadilly line is not as swish as the Heathrow Express.]

1929 replica of an 1829 Shillibeer omnibus, at London Transport Museum. Image: Matt Brown

Modern Omnibus Law

Given that these instructions are now approaching their 200th birthday, it’s high time that someone updated them. Here, then, are my rules for catching a bus in 21st century London:

1. Do NOT form an orderly queue at the bus stop. That is for provincials. Instead, stand where you will, and examine your phone until the bus arrives.

2. If your bus is taking a long time, do not consume 50 bottles of Smirnoff and arrange them mysteriously in groups of five behind the bus shelter… unless you’re in the village of Bedfont near Heathrow, where this seems to be a thing:

Image: Matt Brown

3. DO say hello to the driver. It gives them an enormous sense of wellbeing to ignore you completely, but at least you made the effort.

4. Do not try to pay with cash. It is an unheard-of commodity on the London bus. Travel cards will work, but you’ll immediately mark yourself out as a tourist. Even Oyster cards and debit cards are passé these days. Smartphone or smartwatch payments are the overwhelming norm.

5. Do not offer to show your ticket to the conductor. No London bus has employed a conductor for decades. If you do see a conductor, then either you’ve just consumed 50 bottles of Smirnoff, or it’s a ghost.

6. Select a seat somewhere towards the middle-back. The options nearest the driver are for those who most need a seat. The benches nearest the middle doors are for those looking after buggies or wheelchairs. The back seat is reserved for troublemakers. This leaves just a handful of seats, and so you may want to head upstairs.

7. If heading upstairs, stay as far from the back as you can. The rear five rows are typically taken by passengers who like sharing their music with the whole bus.

8. The front-top seats are reserved for younger passengers who might “pretend to drive the bus”.

9. The bus will inevitably pause five minutes from your destination “to regulate the service”. It is expected that you will emit a mild groan at this juncture.

10. Always ring the bell if you’d like the bus to make a stop. Without a bell, drivers will studiously not stop, and will even accelerate if they can see that people are agitating to get off.

11. Shout “Thank you driver!” as you effect your egress. This once neglected custom has seen a resurgence in London in recent years. And, despite my joshing, bus drivers are among the great unsung heroes of London, and deserve our thanks.

The ill-conducted Conductor

A horse-drawn double-decker from much later (circa 1890) at the London Bus Museum (actually in Surrey at Brooklands). Image: Matt Brown

In 1841, The Times followed up their Omnibus Laws with two new lists. One set out the behaviours of a ‘well-conducted conductor’ and the other essayed the habits of an ‘ill-conducted conductor’. The first list is essentially a ‘good’ version of the second, so here I reproduce only the six hallmarks of the bad busman:

An ill-conducted conductor…

1. Always bawls out “Bank—Bank—City—Bank—Bank—Bank—City—City—Bank—Bank—Bank!” by which disgusting noise his own lungs are injured, the public peace is disturbed, and not any advantage gained.
[Modern buses are pretty good at giving out just the right amount of information. “The next stop is…” and “This is the 107 service to New Barnet”. The Tube, however, still favours an exhausting onslaught of safety messages. See it. Say it. Sorted.]

2. Always bangs the door so violently that if you are sitting next the door you are likely to be deafened for life.
[No such thing as automatic hydraulic doors in the early Victorian period. Manual slam-doors only. I am old enough to remember slam doors on trains, however.]

3. Never provides any check-string, but compels the passengers who want to be set down to use their sticks, canes, and umbrellas, and loud shouts into the bargain, thereby creating a most intolerable nuisance.
[The check-string was a simple mechanism whereby the pull of a cord would ring a bell, alerting the driver to stop… much like the buzzer-bells on modern buses.]

4. Always takes up and sets down his passengers in the middle of the street; by which rudeness they are sometimes bespattered with mud and always exposed to danger.
[Some omnibuses had check-strings on either side of carriage; passengers would pull the appropriate string to indicate which side of the road they would like to set down on. This was possible because doors were typically at the back of the bus, rather than on one side.]

5. Always stands at the door of the omnibus staring in upon the passengers, particularly after he has been eating his dinner of beefsteak, strong onions, and stale beer; and generally has some cad or other crony standing and talking with him. The air that would otherwise circulate through the omnibus, in the way of ventilation, is obstructed and poisoned.
[London’s buses have their problems today, but I think we can all be grateful that the menace of the beefy-breathed conductor haunting the rear window is a thing of the past. The engraving near the top of this article shows one such man.]

6. Always bawls out “All right!” before the passengers have taken their seats, by which gross carelessness, great inconvenience and even danger are often occasioned.
[This still happens today. We’ve all been on buses that have moved off before new passengers have sat down, only for a tumble to ensue. I’ve seen it happen to a parent carrying a baby.]

The Woolwich Ferry has been operating for over 700 years, but it only recently got its first woman captain. Emma Lewis writes about the joys and challenges of the role.

"My favourite is Dame Vera Lynn. She's the female boat and I find she glides so elegantly across the Thames." Image: TfL

Being the first female Captain of the Woolwich Ferry is such an honour. Especially being a normal girl from Birmingham who never even stepped on a boat until I was 21.

Crazy story, but my first ever time on a boat was on the River Thames. My first trip to London was for my 21st birthday and I went on the London Eye River Cruise. If someone had nudged me on the shoulder then and said 'You'll be a captain on this river one day', I would have giggled. But look at me now!

My career on the water started as a Customer Service Assistant for Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. I sold tickets on the piers and helped passengers board. I fell in love with working outside and was really encouraged by how the crew enjoyed their job on board, so I choose to move over to that side of things.

I am not a lover of boats but gaining a new skill and working with such influential people triggered me to start my journey to becoming a captain. My time at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers was so valuable because I had no marine experience previously. The work was fast-paced. Gaining knowledge and experience was so much fun, and every day was different.

Emma Lewis hadn't even stepped on a boat until her 21st birthday. Image: TfL

"Dame Vera Lynn is the female boat and she glides so elegantly across the Thames"

My final shift as a captain at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers was on New Year's Eve — the hardest shift of the year. You have to keep your vessel completely still within a controlled area, with loads of boats around you. You don't get to enjoy the fireworks at all, as you have your back to them, so the back deck is exposed for the customers to have a good view. It was so intense, but I am so proud that I did it.

I moved to the Woolwich Ferry to challenge myself and to gain more knowledge as a captain. The boats here are vastly different from what I had been used to. I wanted change and the Woolwich Ferry was a great place to move to.

We have two ferries, Dame Vera Lynn and Ben Woollacott. My favourite is Dame Vera Lynn (DVL for short). She's the female boat and I find she glides so elegantly across the Thames.

"I do training with my crew daily, so I know they are prepared and ready for any emergency we may encounter." Image: Tom Page, Creative Commons

"With a boat you can't just stop anywhere and let people off"

As captain, my day starts by doing safety checks and a briefing with my crew to discuss daily operations. I navigate the boat from the North to South pier, keeping a watch for any traffic heading inward and outward bound. This is especially important as we are a 'give-way' vessel, so must give right of way to all vessels navigating the River Thames.

On certain days we may have short delays, especially if there are reporting vessels in the area, and sometimes you can have three at once. A reporting vessel is a boat that has right of way on the river and it must fit one of three rules: be longer than 40 metres, weigh 50 tonnes or more and go outside of the River Thames, or be a tugboat towing another ship.

Berthing was once described to me as a 'controlled crash'. We must berth a boat alongside a stable pontoon or pier without causing any damage. When you park a car you don't need to be alongside anything to get out or to stay still, whereas a boat can't just stop anywhere and let people off. So when you are berthing, you need to make contact without causing any damage. Can you imagine having to park a car with contact with the car next to you, without any damage?! The pontoons are protected by 'fenders' which essentially act as shock absorbers, acting as a buffer between the vessel and pontoon.

" I enjoy the sunrises and sunsets." Image: TfL

I do training with my crew daily, so I know they are prepared and ready for any emergency we may encounter. The operation is complex, and I always have to monitor the weather as it may cause delays, especially if it's extremely windy.

I love going down on deck and having a visual inspection of the boat as this gives me the opportunity to speak with customers. A lot of people are surprised we are a free service, so I love giving them the history of the ferry, which started out life in the 14th century.

My favourite part of working at the Woolwich Ferry is the people. I am so unbelievably blessed to call this my job, and I work with some lovely characters who make work seem less like a job. I also enjoy the sunrises and sunsets.

Driverless taxis are already on London's streets, and soon you'll be able to ride one. Image: Londonist

Driverless vehicles have existed in London in one form or other since the 1960s. But things are about to step up a few notches, as robotaxis become legal on the capital's streets. When exactly is this happening? Who are the companies behind them? And are London's crop of human taxi drivers quaking in their cabs?

What exactly is a driverless car?

There are six levels of automated car, level zero being fully dependent on a human driver, and the highest levels being where the tech is in control with very little (level four) or no need (level five) for human intervention.

Level four vehicles are already operating in some parts of the United States, but in the UK, we're not yet at level three. That's on the cusp of changing, thanks to the Automated Vehicles Act of 2024. Trials are already taking place across London, and in the second half of 2027, the Act will be fully implemented, meaning driverless taxis will be roaming the streets.

Which driverless cars are currently operating in London?

Waymo is looking to become an integral part of London's taxi market. Image: Waymo

Though there's no option yet for Londoners to hail a driverless taxi, a handful of big companies are busy trialling them:

🚗 Wayve/Uber: British autonomous driving tech company Wayve is working in cahoots with American ride-hailing platform Uber, as they trial driverless taxis in London. Ultimately, writes Wired, Uber wants to be the 'Kleenex' of ride-hailing apps, that is, you'll be able to use the Uber app to book any number of driverless taxis, including the other two on this list. Of course, Uber is already flush with data on driving around places worldwide, which is extremely useful to autonomous car companies. Those interested in riding in a Wayve in London can now register their interest.

🚗  Waymo: This California-based company — a subsidiary of Google-owner Alphabet —  is already operating driverless taxi services in select metropolitan areas in the States, as well as trialling driverless vehicles in London 24/7. It bills itself "The World’s Most Experienced Driver™", having covered some 200 million miles on public roads already. Apparently that's not enough miles for them to know not to wake up east London residents in the dead of night, or drive the wrong way down an underpass. Those interested in riding in a Waymo in London can now register their interest.

🚗  Baidu: Chinese company Baidu has paired up with US ride-hailing company Lyft to trail their Apollo Go driverless cars. They're a little behind the others, but as of July 2026, have commenced trials in London.

Other autonomous car trials have previously been hosted in London, including Nissan's ServCity project, running from 2020-23.

Does TfL support driverless cars?

TfL says its 'legal duties and responsibilities to keep London moving' means it welcomes CAV (Connected and Automated Vehicles) trials in London. These trials, says TfL, is helping it "understand the opportunities, risks and challenges they present." In short, it's given autonomous cars the green light.

And what do London's taxi drivers think?

"It's like comparing a hotdog vendor to Gordon Ramsay," said one black cab driver on black cabs Vs robotaxis. Image: Londonist

London's black cab drivers have had a lot to contest with recently, one report predicting they could be extinct within 20 years. But if you're to believe general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, Steven McNamara, the general feeling among cabbies about robotaxis is one of skepticism, rather than fear. He cites London's medieval road system, chock-a-block streets and blasé pedestrians as some of the reasons why a proper cabbie would do a better, and safer, job than an autonomous vehicle.

These cars might be clever, but they don't have the Knowledge. Image: Freenow by Lyft x Baidu Apollo Go

There is also the small matter of the Knowledge. "It's like comparing a hotdog vendor to Gordon Ramsay," one black cab driver told the American TV presenter Anderson Cooper.

As for Uber drivers: not long ago they were the threat; now they may fear their livelihoods are in the crosshairs — the very company they work for seemingly happy to phase them out. As human drivers become more of a specialist thing, the Knowledge could work against them. But for now at least, some passengers will prefer to stick with a human behind the wheel. Speaking of which...

Do Londoners actually want driverless cars?

42% of Londoners actively oppose the idea of driverless taxis. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

"I think Londoners are going to love autonomous driving," says Wayve CEO Alex Kendall, which he would do. Driverless car companies are eager to point out the multifarious touted benefits, including 'enhanced safety' (one of the arguments is that technology can't get tired like a human). Detractors would say that driverless taxis are in fact less safe because, well, they don't have a driver — plus anyone who's faced an overheating laptop or gobbledegook-spouting ChatGPT knows technology can get tired.

Environmental sustainability is another key benefit, say the autonomous companies, although most of London's human-driven taxis are already electric or hybrid. As for accessibility: Gabriel Stewart writes in the Guardian that "this is an opportunity for disabled rights that is too great to be missed."

As far as we know, there won't be any cost difference between human-driven and autonomous taxis, although perhaps driverless companies will initially reduce fees to get passengers onside. Ultimately, the cost we have to pay could be much higher, should we find ourselves with tens of thousands of unemployed taxi drivers.

In direct answer to the question Do Londoners actually want driverless cars?: a survey commissioned by the London Assembly Transport Committee found that 42% of Londoners actively oppose the idea of driverless taxis. That's high, although some of that is probably a fear of the unknown, something that will dwindle over time.

Is London getting driverless buses too?

Driverless taxis are all well and good for those who have money/don't like talking to real cabbies. But how about forms of autonomous public transport in London? Might that be a thing?

Well, automated train technology has been in place in London since 1963, although the closest the city has come to implementing it is on the DLR, which is still overseen by train operators.

Recently, London Centric went for a spin in an Ohmio, a pint-sized self-driving bus-like thing, which has already seen action in Milton Keynes (see above). In this case, the Ohmio was being trialled to tackle the very specific problem of a knackered Hammersmith Bridge that can no longer cope with double-deckers. But while proponents of Ohmio and its ilk say this is the future of travel, it's improbable that self-driving London buses will be a widespread phenomenon anytime soon, the many obstacles ranging from limited seating capacity to trade unions.

If you want to ride in a fully automated vehicle in London right now, your best bet is still one of the pods at Heathrow Airport.

Image: DavidPMaynard, Creative Commons

Arise Lord Khan of Tooting.

Congratulations to Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, who has now been further honoured with a peerage. The three-times Mayor will now be able to take his place on the red seats of the House of Lords, after receiving the nomination from Keir Starmer. He is one of 26 new Peers approved by the King.

It's not yet clear how active a Lord Khan will be. He still has almost two years to serve of his current term in City Hall, and has hinted that he might seek a fourth go at the job. That said, riding two horses simultaneously is not unprecedented in this job. In 2015-16, Boris Johnson spent a year as both Mayor of London and MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.  

The appointment throws up any number of questions. For example, would Khan accept a ministerial role from PM presumptive Andy Burnham? Serving as a Lord would qualify him for cabinet. Then there's the matter of the Lords itself. Both Burnham and Khan have spoken of the need for complete overhaul in the past.

The House of Lords. Photo: UK Parliament

The quirkiest upshot, though, is the potential confusion the new title brings. Sadiq Khan is now both Mayor of London and a Lord... but he is not Lord Mayor of London.

The Lord Mayor of London* is a year-long ceremonial appointment in the City of London (Square Mile)... the kind of mayor who goes around in gold chains and robes acting as a figurehead and ambassador for the City. Mayor of London Lord Khan, in contrast, is a political appointment with responsibilities over transport, policing and other weighty matters, and concerning the whole of Greater London.

Know the difference. Left: the Lord Mayor of London. Right: the Mayor of London, who currently happens to be a Lord. Image: Matt Brown, with knitted figures by Heather Brown

They are two very different roles, but now with even more similar names.

*The current Lord Mayor is Dame Susan Langley, the third woman who has held the role, and the first to use the title "Lady Mayor".

Grosvenor Square has had a woodland style makeover. Image: Grosvenor

Grosvenor Square will reopen to the public for the first time in over a year on Monday 20 July, following a £25m makeover.

Owned by the Grosvenor Group — the Duke of Westminster's private property company, which also owns swathes of Mayfair and Belgravia — Grosvenor Square closed last June to undergo its fourth major redesign since it was first constructed in the first half of the 18th century.

There's a new cafe kiosk. Image: Grosvenor

Taking on a woodland theme with winding paths, Grosvenor Square is now filled with some 150,000 plants and bulbs, 44 new trees and two (admittedly small) wetlands — a vivacious contrast to its previous austere, be-lawned layout. "At a time when conversations about heat, flooding and the future of our cities couldn't be more relevant," says Grosvenor, "the project asks a simple question: how can urban green spaces work harder for both people and nature?"

Loving the benches too. Image: Grosvenor

One practical answer to this is that the Square can now absorb up to 1.4 million litres of stormwater at a time, doing its bit against urban flooding. We're also told that wildlife is already returning, with ducks, butterflies and dragonflies all sighted in the last few weeks. An education centre run by London Wildlife Trust has been installed, along with a new café kiosk.

The paths are now winding, rather than straight and austere. Image: Grosvenor

Set out by gardener John Alston in the 1720s, Grosvenor Square was initially reserved for the use of the Square's residents, only opening to the public after the Second World War. From 1938 until 2018, the US Embassy overlooked the Square, making the green space a popular spot for protests, including those against the Vietnam War.

This latest revamp has been largely funded by Grosvenor Group, which, it's fair to say, has a few quid kicking around. In 2017 the Guardian revealed that, benefitting from previous offshore investment in the dukes of Westminster empire, the current Duke of Westminster, billionaire Hugh Grosvenor, didn't have to pay the 40% death duties imposed on most British taxpayers.

Click or tap for larger size. Image: Matt Brown

What are the commonest baby names in your borough?

Every year, the Office for National Statistics releases data on the commonest baby names registered over the past year. The 2025 data have now been released. As usual, the London stats are broken down by borough, allowing us to make the graphic above.

Commonest girls' names in London boroughs

Among girls, Sophia and Sofia are the commonest name, topping 10 boroughs between them. That's quite a surge, as the name only featured in two boroughs last year. Maryam is also on the rise. Last year, only Tower Hamlets recorded this as the most popular choice; now five boroughs do.

The biggest decline is in Amelias. A whopping 14 boroughs favoured the name in 2024, now it's just two. Olivia has also stagnated, from seven boroughs last year to seven this.

And welcome to the new entry of Rehmat, the commonest girl's name in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Image: Matt Brown

Click or tap for larger image.

What if Count Binface became Prime Minister?

It could never happen, of course. (Could it?) But in a flight of trash-can fantasy, we thought we'd speculate about his potential cabinet, were he to become PM.

We've assumed that he would choose fellow bin-shaped individuals to form his Government. So we've rounded up some of London's most charismatic rubbish receptacles to put together a prospective team.

All images are by Matt Brown, except the photo of Binface (from Count Binface himself), and the background image, by jpdfive, creative commons licence.

You wait ages for one vintage Routemaster, and then 25 turn up at once. Image: Peter Hendy, with permission

What's that coming over the hill — is it a 'master, is it a 'master?

Actually it's over 25 Routemasters. This is Imberbus — the annual parade of double-decker London buses from Warminster to Chitterne — via Salisbury Plain and a collection of bucolic villages, including Imber (hence the event's name).

Ohh, a green one. Image: Shutterstock

The uncanny sight comes with a backstory to match. Residents of the small village of Imber in Wiltshire were turfed out of their village by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1943 so the land could be used for military exercises. They were promised their village back at the end of the war. That never happened.

You may spot the odd modern Routemaster too. Image: Imberbus

Fast forward to a tipsy conversation in a Bath pub in 2009, some schmoozing with the MoD's top brass, and the concept of Imberbus was born. Imber may not have any residents, but by heck, it was going to have a (once-annually) bus service.

Imberbus has since ballooned into a cult event, some bus fanatics even coming from overseas to take part.

You ain't seen nothing quite like Imberbus before. Image: Imberbus

So, how DO you take part? All you need to do is get to Warminster station in Wiltshire on Saturday 15 August 2026. Trains from Paddington to Warminster take as little as 1 hour 35 minutes.

Not the usual view you get from a London bus... Image: Ed Webster via creative commons

The 2026 timetable is now live, with the first vintage Routemasters of the day running from Warminster to Imber at 9.30am, and then throughout the day every 15 minutes or so until late afternoon.

On arrival at Imber, some buses from Warminster will carry on to Gore Cross, then either to Brazen Bottom and the Lavingtons or to Tilshead & Chitterne. Extra buses link Tilshead, the Lavingtons, Gore Cross and New Zealand Farm Camp.

In the pretty village of Chitterne. Image: Imberbus

There are various landmarks, events and refreshments to get stuck into, including Imber Church, Caspers Cafe at Warminster Station, the village halls in Tilshead and Chitterne, and the refurbished Market Lavington Museum.

London's urban sprawl is getting ridiculous... Image: Imberbus

Day tickets for Imberbus are £10 (children ride for just £2). This allows unlimited rides, allowing you to try different buses, and stop off in various villages along the way. There's no need to book ahead — in fact you can't. Buses only accept cash, although you can purchase tickets from a special desk at Warminster in the morning using a card/contactless. Cash machines are also available in Warminster Market Place, five minutes walk from the rail station.

In recent years, the event has raised tens of thousands for the Imber Church fund and the Royal British Legion, so your cash is going to a good cause.

Battle bus! Image: Imberbus

By the way, cars, motorbikes, cycles, scooters and pedestrians are NOT permitted access to the military roads on Imberbus day, so don't try to join in that way.

Imberbus, Saturday 15 August 2026.

The Baker Street labyrinth. Image: Matt Brown

Are you the sort of person who takes photos of every Tube station labyrinth? This app might help.

Do you know about the Tube labyrinths? Every station has one; all 272 of them.

The labyrinths were created in 2013 by artist Mark Wallinger, as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the London Underground. Each one has a different pattern, and each is individually numbered from 1 to 272.

'Collecting' the labyrinths is a surprisingly common pastime. Some set out to photograph the designs methodically; others (like myself) collect them ad hoc, whenever we happen to chance across one.

To do this, you need some way of keeping track. Personally, I cross them off on a Tube map, and upload my photos to a dedicated folder on Flickr.

Now, there's an easier way.

Ryan Dobson has developed a free app for iPhone and Android that gives labyrinth-baggers all the tools they need to locate and document the art works.

Screenshots from Mind the Maze.

Mind the Maze is really simple. You tick off each labyrinth as you discover it, and upload a photo. This releases some digital confetti, and unlocks three fun facts about the station. If you can't find a particular labyrinth (and some of them are quite well-hidden), then you can ask the app for a clue. Finally, all 'got' stations are displayed on a map with a different coloured map pin to the unclaimed stations. You can see at a glance where you still need to go.

It's a basic but very useful app... if 'useful' is the right word for the frivolous pursuit of wall-mounted labyrinths.

A selection of Tube labyrinths collected by Matt Brown.

"What I’ve found fascinating," says Ryan, "is that there’s a small but enthusiastic community of people using the labyrinths as a reason to explore parts of London they’d never otherwise visit. Hunting them has taken us to stations, neighbourhoods and corners of the network we would have completely overlooked."

Incidentally, the order of the labyrinth numbers has a hidden meaning. They follow the sequence of stations on the optimal route of the Tube Challenge — the oft-attempted mission to visit every Underground station in one day.

The addition of Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station in 2023 was a slight hiccup to the system; rather than tack them on the end as numbers 271 and 272, they've been numbered 110a and 110b, so they're numerically adjacent to nearby Kennington (110).

Anyway, happy hunting!

Download Mind the Maze for free via links here.

Brixton Village and Market Row have been listed as Assets of Community Value. Image: Matt Brown, Creative Commons

Brixton Village and Market Row have been listed as Assets of Community Value, following a suggestion that private equity firms were about to purchase them.

In June, we reported that the Brixton Traders and Community Association's (BTCA) had discovered it only had a few days to make a credible bid on the covered markets (collectively Brixton Market), with unnamed private equity firms champing at the bit to buy up the sites. The concern was that the markets would be taken out of community control, with independents ousted for larger chains in pursuit of higher profit. Almost 40,000 people subsequently signed a 'Buy Back Brixton' petition.

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A post shared by Lambeth Council (@lambeth_council)

The application for the Asset of Community Value — which was lodged by the Stour Trust — grants the local community more rights to help take greater control over the sites, including giving them the legal right to purchase, with six months to put together a bid.

Cllr Martin Abrams, the Leader of Lambeth Council, said: "This is a big step forward for the campaign for community ownership which aims to safeguard Brixton's heritage, and I am pleased the council has swiftly taken this important step."

The fight, of course, is far from over: figures in the region of £50m have reportedly been offered for Brixton Market, and some serious investment will be required. As the Lambeth Council video above says: "The hard work starts now."

Adapted from a feature that first appeared in July 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

A Tube train at Golders Green in 1911. Image: Public domain

Let’s catch the Tube 115 years ago, through the eyes of a newcomer to London.

Kate Evelyn Isitt (1876-1948) cut her journalistic teeth writing for New Zealand newspapers, including a stint as the first editor of the women’s page on Wellington’s Dominion newspaper. In 1910, she moved to London and quickly established herself as a trusted journalist, working in this capacity until the 1940s. Her personal story would be a fascinating one to pursue (a bit more here), but today I’d like to focus on a barnstorming feature she wrote in 1911, concerning London’s Tube network.

She gives us a first-hand account of what it was like to catch the Tube all those years ago, when George V had just taken the throne, William Taft was US President, and the almost-complete Titanic had no word associations with icebergs.

Below, I’ve quoted and commented upon about two-thirds of that feature. The full version can be read on the British Newspaper Archive.

The Tube Travellers

You may be only a few minutes in London before you find yourself diving into the depths of the earth to get from the railway terminus to your suburb; you will hardly be a day in the city before making the acquaintance of this strange twentieth-century London, the underground city which extends from Hampstead Lane and Finsbury Park in the north to Hurlingham and Clapham Common in the south, and from Whitechapel in the east to Turnham Green in the west, lacing and interlacing its paths into a perfect labyrinth between these points.

114 years on, and this could read Barnet in the north to Morden in the south; Chesham in the west to Upminster in the east.

"To the trains" — the words and the pointing arrow stare you in the face, and to the trains you go, down slopes and stairs, round curves and corners, walking for a distance that often seems interminable, til at last you come to a long, narrow platform, in a tunnel lighted with electric lamps. A very nice tunnel it is, lined with white and coloured tiles that look cool and clean, emblazoned with advertisements, and, generally speaking, so light and airy that it is very difficult to believe that the streets and the sunlight are so far overhead. The ventilation, indeed, is so good that sometimes away down there you will meet with a very respectable young Wellington gale.

I think I snapped this in Stepney Green. Many other ‘To the Trains’ signs survive around the network. Image: Matt Brown

I’m not sure the modern commentator would describe the Tube as ‘light and airy’. Despite a recent graffiti surge, the network remains a clean place and very much ‘emblazoned with advertisements’. The white and coloured tiles have also been maintained through the decades, and are one of the most celebrated aspects of the Tube network. A ‘Wellington gale’ refers to the noted problem that Isitt’s home city has with wind, so to speak.

Before you have time to read more than one or two of the advertisements which decorate the walls, into the station will come rushing an engineless train looking for all the world like a headless caterpillar. As it stops the iron gates on the platform of each carriage fly open, the guard earnestly exhorts the waiting crowd to "let the passengers off please”, and while the train throbs with desire to rush off into the darkness again the passengers file out with a sad and funereal dignity.

Lots to unpack here (once we’ve got over the phrase ‘throbs with desire’). The ‘iron gates’ identify the train as the 1906 Stock. Passengers got on or off via metal gates at either end of the carriage, which must have taken a while during busy periods. The trains are noted as ‘engineless’, which we take for granted today, but would have still seemed quite novel in the early 20th century. Then, as now, the power came from electricity below rather than a hauling locomotive. The lack of an engine presumably prompted the ‘headless caterpillar’ comment.

1906 Gate Stock. Note the iron gate to the left. Image: Public domain

The other notable detail here is the presence of a guard. All trains had one. Indeed, they’d remain a permanent fixture until 1984, when the move to driver-only trains began. Some Underground trains would keep their guards right up until 2000.

At last you are allowed to enter, the gates snap shut once more , and the train runs round a curve from the bright station into a dark tube just large enough to let it slip through, but almost before you realise that you are really journeying it runs out into the light of another station.

Aside from the snapping of the metal gate, that description holds up pretty well today. Tube trains still enter a ‘dark tube just large enough’.

Image: Matt Brown

Fortunate is the passenger whose trip is made without a break, for it is the changing from one line to another, the walking along endless passages, or sometimes out into the street again from the station of one company to the adjoining station of another — for two companies divide this underground system between them — the riding up and down in lifts, that make a trip across London wearisome.

Today, we’re used to a unified, joined up system. Back in 1911, the various lines were controlled by different companies, making interchange and ticketing a confusing business.

Alighting from his train, the new arrival in London who is in a hurry races along the platform and up the stairs to the lift, with an idea that by hastening he will arrive the sooner at his destination, and then for all his pains he will have to wait with the liftman as his solitary companion, waiting for the laggard crew to toil up after him, an experience which, repeated several times each day, will at last teach him, too, to walk: very slowly. Because of those lift delays it is hardly worth while taking a tube for a very short journey or a brief trip with a break in it, if a motor ‘bus will serve one’s turn.

At the time of the article in 1911, all deep-level Tube stations were accessed by lift or stairs. (The first Tube escalators, at Earl’s Court station, would open later that year.) Lifts could take a while. They were slow to climb, and were operated by a liftman who could hold the lift back until it was full to his satisfaction. It was a job with its ups and downs.

The development of the system during the past five or six years has been rapid. Fifteen years ago there was an electric railway running partly underground and partly in the open from Euston round by the Bank, and down to Clapham, and the old District Railway, also underground for the most part, was electrified five years ago. It is about nine years since the first of the tube railways was opened, the one that runs from the Bank to Shepherd’s Bush, passing along somewhere beneath Cheapside, Holborn and Oxford Street, and in 1906-7 were opened the three lines which link the others up and especially serve the theatres, the Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Hampstead Railways.

The London Underground as it looked in 1908, three years before the article (though essentially the same network). Note, most of the colours differ from today’s Tube map and, of course, it lacks the clean, schematic qualities of Harry Beck’s 1930’s map. Image: roger4336, Creative Commons

The expansion of the network was stupendously rapid in these early years of the 20th century. To use their modern names, the core of the Central line opened in 1900, followed by those of the Bakerloo and Piccadilly in 1906, and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line in 1907. Plus lots of extensions all over the place.

What London did without these railways it is difficult to imagine, for they now seem absolutely essential. The companies between them own 864 miles of railroad, and last year carried 312,500,000 passengers, or nearly a million each day. The average length of a journey is about two and a half miles, and as the average speed, including stops, is over seventeen miles an hour, one may reckon that the average Londoner spends nearly a quarter of an hour each day over one underground journey, while a wonderfully elaborate calculation shows me 7000 people travelling down among the foundations of London at any given minute of the day.

What a marvellous compendium of stats. The network has greatly grown since 1911, and today supports around 1.2 billion passenger journeys per year. That’s roughly the entire population of China. To put it another way, Elon Musk could afford to hand out $833 to every person who crosses the ticket line for a whole year. I made about 100 Tube journeys last year, so I figure he owes me $83,300.

The average length of journey today, according to this FOI request, is 9km, which is 5.6 miles — more than double the average of 1911 as reported here. The average speed today (according to another FOI request) varies by line, but hovers around 30 kph, which is 18.6 mph. In other words, it’s very similar to the pace in 1911. How many people are ‘travelling down among the foundations of London at any given time’ today? Well, about 3 million people use the service every day, between the hours of 5am and midnight (ignoring Night Tube). So that’s about 160,000 people per hour. So I’d guess about half that (80,000) are on the network, as an average, at any given moment.

The tubes proper are only large enough to allow a single train to shoot through, the trains always running in the same direction. In these a collision would be impossible, unless indeed one train should overtake another which had broken down, as was pleasantly suggested by a man in our carriage the other day, when something went wrong and for three or four minutes the train was stuck groaning in the dark tube, while the motormen scampered to and fro and shouted at each other, and the experienced passengers looked on undisturbed. As a matter of fact the man was wrong. On these lines they have automatic signals and brakes, and at a danger signal the brake springs up from the live centre rail, holding the rain until the danger is removed. On the old underground lines there are double lines, but on one of them at least the same automatic brake is used, while of course aall the trains are lighted by electricity.

Collisions of any kind between London Underground trains are vanishingly rare. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the last collision between passenger trains on the network was in 1986. Most fatalities on the network, through its entire history, have been through passenger incidents or terror attacks. There are exceptions, though, like the Stratford Tube crash of 1953 and, of course, the Moorgate disaster of 1975, as well as various derailments.

The lifts that people complain of so much are in their way as interesting as the tubes, some of them going down to great depths. The one at Holborn goes down to a depth of 130ft, while the Hampstead one, according to a liftman, is about 190ft deep, and the station there is 200ft below the surface of the earth. Even then so high is Hampstead that the train running from the city is on an upgrade all the way. The tubes run far below the sewage system, the run beneath the river, and cross and recross each other while down there in the darkness, they climb up and down little slopes according to the level of the ground above, and they twist their way round many a curve, as one can see when watching the track from the end window of the Hampstead train by the light of the red and green lamps set here and there.

All of this is still true (apart from the red and green lamps). Hampstead’s platforms remain the deepest below street level, though the Jubilee line at Westminster is furthest beneath sea level (or closest to the centre of the Earth).

Also at Hampstead, more of those lovely tiles, and another glimpse of the iron-gated Tube trains. Image: Matt Brown

Everything works so smoothly that one does not realise what an enormous amount of traffic is dealt with each day, but on one line alone, between the Mansion House and South Kensington, a thousand trains are run each day, one every ninety seconds, and the Mansion House Station holds the record when at one period in the day it despatches three trains in each direction in three minutes.

This also remains true today. We might like to moan about the Tube, but the frequency and reliability are enviable when compared to most other rail systems in the UK. When all’s going well, the route between Mansion House and South Kensington today sees five or six trains every 10 minutes in each direction (timetables here), on par with 1911 levels. The other important thing to know about Mansion House station is that it’s the third-closest station to the Mansion House. Also, it’s one of only two station names to contain all the vowels. It’s this kind of trivia that keeps you reading, isn’t it?

There is material for many a detective novel in the possibilities of the tubes, and I have wondered for days over an incident I saw which might well have served for the beginning of a sensational novel. A little old lady, rather peculiarly dressed, came into the carriage at an underground station, and as she passed to her seat she paused to stare with sudden interest at a passenger seated near the door, a quite harmless looking boy. So interested was she that she afterwards changed her seat to have a better view of his face, and gazed at him conspicuously throughout the journey, hurrying out to keep near him when the arrived at the Bank Station, which is the terminus, and watching to see which lift he would enter. He made for the first lift; she followed him, so he turned back to the second, which was just the thing she had always meant to do. Then he thought better of it and came towards the third lift, she following him without a word. I heard the boy complain to the lift-man in an injured tone, and then the door slammed and we shot up, leaving them both behind. I was so curious to see what would happen that I waited near the head of the shaft till the next lift came up, and the old lady appeared alone, hurrying off with a worried look up one of the half-dozen subways. The youth, presumably, had slipped through an archway into a train going in the other direction and once he was off, pursuit was hopeless. But what did it mean? Why should such an elderly lady be so angry with such an innocent-looking lad, and did they ever meet again, and if so, what happened? One would like to know.

I know at least three murder/mystery/detective novelists who read Londonist: Time Machine… so there’s your challenge. It strikes me that a fourth person might have observed Ms Isitt following the strange pair and might, in turn, have wondered why she was so interested in them.

The underground companies advertise enormously, boasting their immunity from fogs and blocks and road upheavals, and the inexpensiveness of their fares. At the door of every station is a poster bearing the words which won a newspaper prize: “Underground to anywhere; quickest way, cheapest fare,” a jingle that is almost as maddeningly reiterative as Mark Twain’s famous “Punch, brothers, punch with care; punch in the presence of the passenger.”

It’s no longer the cheapest fare — buses or cycle hire will beat the price for most journeys. And Mark Twain wrote pithier words than these. Incidentally, trivia fans, Mark Twain was one of the very first people to ride on the Central line.

Quickest way it certainly is, and cheapest fare, but this in the long run makes it very expensive both as regards time and money - so far as the visitor to London is concerned. When one can get to the other end of town in no time at all, why not go, and when it costs only twopence or threepence to go, one forgets it will cost as much to come back, and as in the course of the day the visitor anxious to see the most of London takes the most tremendous journeys, hardly realising as the train rushes through the darkness how very long they are. A journey on a horse ‘bus is a journey without doubt, a journey on a motor ‘bus is an adventure for the passenger or the passer-by, but a journey underground is merely an episode, and it is not till the end of the day that visitor discovers why a London working day contains only six working hours that two others have been dropped somewhere deep beneath the city’s foundations, and then in his reckoning of the day’s expenditure he discovers also the cost of shooting through those labyrinthine passages.

The Tube can still be a spendy business. Happily, today we have the transport cap, which means you can never spaff more than £16.30 on pay-as-you-go Tube journeys, even if you visit all 272 stations in one day, or spend the entire 5am to midnight window riding from Cockfosters to Mudchute in some lewd, avant-garde performance-art project. Which, of course, I’m now going to have to do.

And that concludes Ms Isitt’s account of the Tube, and our time-travelling adventure through the Edwardian network. All change, please. This article terminates here.

They don't make 'em like they used to. Image: London Transport Museum

Dream of travelling to a bygone London? This July you can do just that, thanks to another batch of heritage rides on a 1938 Underground train, as well as the chance to be pulled in 1950s carriages by a 1920s Metro-land loco.

From 25-26 July, various Metropolitan line rides set off from Amersham aboard burgundy-hued art deco-style 1938 stock — replete with sumptuous red and green cut and loop wool moquette. In all, over 1,100 of these cars were built, with some still in use in London up until 1988. A handful were recycled on the Isle of Wight's Island Line, but in 2020, were replaced with 'new' (aka 1980s) London Underground stock.

The Sarah Siddons was one of 20 locomotives built for the Metropolitan Railway in 1922-23 for service between the City and Metro-land. Image: Roger Carvell, Creative Commons

Between 24-26 July, there's also the chance to ride in 1950s ex British Rail 4TC coaches, as hauled by the Sarah Siddons, a beautiful electric locomotive which first served the swelling suburbs of Metro-land in the early 1920s.

The 1938 stock has been lovingly restored. Image: London Transport Museum

The journeys all start out at Amersham (though they take slightly varied routes), and can be purchased as returns, or otherwise singles to Harrow-on-the-Hill:

🚇 Sarah Siddons: 24-26 July, details here.

🚇 1938 Stock: 25 and 26 July, details here.

Ticket bundles also allow you to experience both trains.

As usual, spaces are going fast. Image: London Transport Museum

Unfortunately these heritage rides are very much NOT at vintage prices: adult tickets start at £22, going up to £40, though there are concession rates for kids. This price includes a souvenir guide, and activity sheets for children. We're told these will be the last heritage rides of 2026.

If you're looking for a thriftier heritage Tube experience, you can always hop on the Bakerloo line, the stock of which which is way over half a century old.

Heritage Tube rides on the Metropolitan line, 24-26 July 2026.

Do this for free every Sunday this month. Image: TfL

We've got some real cycling weather on our hands at the moment — and right on cue, TfL is offering free rides on Santander Cycles every Sunday this month.

Launched in 2024, TfL Cycle Sundays offer unlimited free 60-minute rides from over 800 docking stations across the city.

Normally, a Santander Cycles day pass costs £3.50 (still very good value) for unlimited 60-minute rides — that is, you can have as many journeys as you like, but each must be 60 minutes or under. But on Sundays this July you won't be charged a penny*.

To access the freebie, visit any Santander Cycles docking station, choose a day pass and enter the relevant code for that day (see below). You'll need to use a bank card/mobile phone to complete the process.

Day passes for Santander e-bikes can also be redeemed as part of the offer, but they must be hired via the Santander Cycles app or with a membership key and are only available to registered members. Membership is free and can be created online or through the app.

The days and codes are:

🚲 5 July (code CYCLEJULY5)

🚲 12 July (code CYCLEJULY12)

🚲 19 July (code CYCLEJULY19)

🚲 26 July (code CYCLEJULY26)

Not sure where to pedal to? TfL has published a list of suggested cycle-friendly routes, in cahoots with komoot and Strava.

For more information/inspiration on Cycle Sundays, visit TfL's website.

* As with the usual offer, if you err over the 60-minute time slot, you'll incur a charge of £1.65 for every extra 60 minutes. Basically, don't go cycling around the Capital Ring in one fell swoop.

Coughlans Bakery has announced it is closing its sites with immediate effect. Image: Kake ., Creative Commons

Until yesterday, anyone hankering for a cheeky bacon sandwich/yum yum in Croydon and its surrounds may well have swerved the ubiquitous outposts of Greggs, in favour of local bakery Coughlans.

Established by Jack Coughlan on Croydon's Mayday Road in 1937, the bakery became a firm favourite with south London locals over the years — testified by its expansion to a number of stores in Croydon borough, as well as other parts of south London, West Sussex, Surrey and Kent. In 2024, the Crawley-born comedian Romesh Ranganathan became a co-owner, sometimes even serving behind the counte (we can personally testify that the Ranga Yum Yums made in his honour were delish).

But on Tuesday 30 June, Coughlans suddenly announced it was closing all its bakeries with immediate effect, going into voluntary liquidation.

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A post shared by Coughlans Bakery (@coughlansbakery)

"It's with the heaviest of hearts that I'm bringing you the news that sadly we at Coughlans Bakery are closing our doors today for the last time," announced managing director Sean Coughlan, blaming a perfect storm of fuel prices from Trump's Iran war, new National Insurance charges and generally higher rates — with the recent heatwave acting as the final nail in the coffin. "Please please please remember to shop local," said Sean Coughlan, "our high streets need your love."

The news has been met with an outpouring of love, sadness and frustration from customers, including East Croydon Cool, who commented "Shocked and saddened. If a business like Coughlans can't make it work, how's anyone else supposed to?"

These are desperate times for small businesses who, in a kinder economic climate, would be doing very well. Recently we reported that Queer Brewing is set to shut up shop at the end of July.

Update: Inside Croydon has since published a piece suggesting there's a little more going on behind the scenes than was publicly stated by Coughlans in the first instance.

Just like the old days. Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

An historic ceremony harking back centuries takes place in the City, with the chance to see a slew of vintage vehicles roll into Guildhall Yard.

The Cart Marking ceremony — hosted on Saturday 18 July 2026 by the City of London and the Worshipful Company of Carmen — first began around 500 years ago, as a form of vehicle licensing.

One of the carts from 2021. Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

"Carters," says the Carmen, "were a rumbustious crowd. They plied for hire, and ignored authority." As carts increasingly clogged the streets, causing increasing chaos, the Fraternity of St Katherine, the Virgin and Martyr of Carters was formed in 1517, "to serve the King... cleanse, purge and keep clene the streets" and "move wares and merchaundyses". But with the Fraternity lacking authority, in 1529, the City decided it was time to impose licensing; carts to be marked 'with the sworde crowned'.

This in turn led to a 1582 rule that each cart in the City must be sealed with branded 'chip and brass' for a penny a year per cart (or five pence for a new cart).

A bicycle getting marked. Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

The practice of cart marking survived through the centuries (despite carters finding various devious ways to swerve regulation), and when, in 1965, the Town Clerk decreed that the tradition did not 'create a forward looking image of the city authorities', Carmen Past Master Norman Letts remarked "There is a modern tendency among the ignorant to discredit those things which have at least the virtue of antiquity." The tradition continued.

Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

Got a feeling the officials are going to be a tad sweaty. Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

The modern Cart Marking Ceremony, which takes place every summer, was prompted in 1981, when a steam engine was driven into Guildhall Yard to be marked. It's since evolved into a celebratory public event, with vehicles passing through Guildhall Arch to pay 'five shillings' (25p) to the City of London.

A red hot iron brand is still used, although it's pressed onto a block of wood attached to the vehicle, rather than the chassis itself, which is probably sensible.

Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

Vehicles are no longer limited to wooden carts; in 2026 expect to see the likes of vintage fire engines, buses, funeral carriages, omnibuses, trade bicycles — plus modern additions like road sweepers and vacuum tankers.

The vehicles are greeted by the City's top brass, including the Lord Mayor of London (or as is the case in 2026, the Lady Mayor of London), masters from two different City of London Livery companies, and the Keeper of Guildhall Yard — all dressed in traditional robes, and wearing gloves made by the Worshipful Company of Glovers — before being marked with the iron brand.

Is it us or did ambulances used to look much cooler? Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

Image: The Worshipful Company of Carmen

It all adds up to create a glorious timeline on wheels — one of the most joyful vehicular events of the London calendar, alongside the London To Brighton Veteran Car Run and the World Naked Bike Ride.

Here's a video of the ceremony from 2022:

Cart Marking Ceremony, Guildhall, City of London, Saturday 18 July 2026, 10am-12.30pm, free entry

Image: Nick Page, Unsplash License

A roundup of London heatwave news... hot off the press.

Hot buses: Riding a bus at the moment is a test of resilience, but imagine what it's like for the driver. Too hot, say unions. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan points out that all drivers should have air-cooling systems, but says that drivers should not face disciplinary action if they refuse to drive a bus that they feel is dangerously hot.

Hot trains: Network Rail are still advising people to only travel if necessary. The heat can not only lead to unpleasant rail carriages, but rails can buckle causing cancellations. Meanwhile, the Tube is coping better than might be expected with the heatwave. Nevertheless, nine lines have minor delays at time of writing, in part because of the weather. Eurostar is badly affected.

Hot pavements: Greenpeace has been out with thermal imaging cameras, recording surface temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The Londoner has also been out with its thermometer, looking for the hot and cold spots across town.

Hot irony: An event about coping with extreme heat at London School of Economics is cancelled owing to extreme heat.

Hot museums and attractions: The BBC has a round-up of cultural attractions closed because of the heatwave. They include the Tower Bridge Experience, Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory and Young V&A. Some museums including the British Museum and V&A, have closed some galleries. Thorpe Park, Chessington and Legoland Windsor are all closed. The Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Cookingham Palace is also curtailed all week.

Image: Quentin Guiot, Pexels License

Hot schools: Most schools across the region are either closed or partially closed. The Standard has a somewhat ambitious list of as many closures as it can source.

Homeless: The number of rough sleepers is at an all-time high in London. The London Assembly Housing Committee has written to the Mayor with serious concerns about the help and care being offered during the heatwave.

Finding cool spots: The Greater London Authority has released an interactive map showing public buildings with air-conditioning and other places to cool down.

Pooey Thames: London Centric has a poop-a-scoop about the state of the Thames. The recent flash storms caused the sewers to discharge directly into the Thames, just like the bad old days before the Thames Tideway super-sewer. This was supposed to intercept the foetid gush, but it was temporarily offline for maintenance.

The serious side: Excessive heat costs lives. London Ambulance Service recorded its fifth busiest day in history, and the busiest day for most serious call-outs, thanks to the surge of heat-related emergencies.

Future proofing: These sort of heatwaves are only going to get more common as climate change bites. Mayor Sadiq launched a 'Heat Plan for London', looking at first steps to improve the city's resilience to such episodes. One of its main planks is getting more aircon into schools, hospitals and other public buildings.

A few cool Londonist links...

• How to keep cool in London in the summer heatwave.
• Refreshing play fountains in which to cool down.
• Where to find your nearest lido or outdoor swimming pool in the capital.
• Urban sandy beaches in London.
• “Heat Refugees”: When people piled into the Tube to escape London heatwaves.

Visitors will enter the museum through a 'new' entrance adjacent to the current one, although the doorway itself is already there. Image: © 2026 London Transport Museum, created by De Matos Ryan

Major transformation is afoot at London Transport Museum.

Ahead of celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2030, the Covent Garden museum — which opened inside the Victorian flower market building in March 1980 — has revealed plans for a "once in a generation" glow-up.

A mock-up of the museum's new LTM50 space. Image: © 2026 London Transport Museum, created by De Matos Ryan

These include a 'new' entrance on Covent Garden Piazza (technically the current entrance is already on the Piazza, via the gift shop, but the mock-up above suggests use will be made of an existing adjacent doorway.)

An extra 500 square metres will also be freed up inside the museum "for improved galleries and learning experiences", to include LTM50, an area "celebrating London's journey from Victorian innovation to the capital of tomorrow." What that means in terms of brand new exhibits, we're not yet sure.

The museum will remain open throughout the revamp, which will also include "major environmental upgrades" and "upgraded visitor facilities". It's not yet clear when works will commence.

The museum (and its famous merch) stretch back before 1980. Here's the London Transport shop at Griffith House, Edgware Road, circa 1975. © TfL London Transport Museum collection.

Though 2030 marks 50 years since the collection came to Covent Garden as the London Transport Museum, it already spans back further than half a century — first going on public display as part of the Museum of British Transport during the 1960s (housed in a former bus garage in Clapham), then from 1973, as the London Transport Collection at Syon Park, west London.

For a time, there was also a shop next to Edgware Road station selling London Transport merch — a source of income that's grown ever-lucrative over the decades.

Recently, the London Museum (formerly the Museum of London) announced it will open its doors on Saturday 28 November 2026.

Image: Christof Timmermann, Creative Commons

Cramped into the Piccadilly line is the last place you want to be during a heatwave. But that wasn't always the case...

"The coolest resort in London, with the exception of the refrigerator, was in the underground subway of tube stations," reckoned the Daily Mirror during an unseasonable hot spell in May 1916.

The temperature inside a "stuffy West End shop" was 31.7°C, while one of the deep-level Tube lines was just 23.9°C (or 89°F versus 75°F in ye olde units of the report).

So, a heatwave day in May 1916 saw the Tube hit almost 24°C. According to London Datastore numbers, an *average* May day on the deep-level lines today is 26.6°C (Bakerloo) or 27.5°C (Central). These can easily exceed 30°C during a heatwave.

Another news item from 1914 recorded the subsurface temperatures on the Metropolitan line.

The Globe, 3 July 1914. Via the British Newspaper Archive

That's 18.6°C below ground, while the direct-sunshine temperature was 44°C. (If that sounds high, it's because modern temperature reporting measures in the shade.) The shallow lines like the Met were, and are, somewhat cooler because of easier ventilation.

Even as late as 1925, people still considered the Tube as a cool refuge. This from the Liverpool Echo, 12 June 1925:

"Thousands of people indulged in rides on the tubes in their search for a cool place, whilst not a few took tickets in order just to go down the lifts to sit down below in comfort and coolness. When moved on these heat refugees passed to the next station and there found sanctuary for a little while longer."

Clearly, the Tubes and subsurface lines were the place to go if you needed to get out of the heat. Today, the reverse is true. All sensible people avoid the Tube in a heatwave, unless they have no choice. What changed?

Well, the ground heated up. Decades of train movements have imparted the tunnels and surrounding clays with extra heat, generated mostly by friction. Many of the tunnels have been in near-constant use for over 120 years, so the heat never gets a chance to dissipate.

TfL has experimented with industrial fans to help cool station spaces. Image: Ted Potters, Creative Commons

Despite the rising temperatures, travelling underground is not always as sweaty as it used to be. The subsurface lines (Circle, District, H&C and Metropolitan) now have a form of air conditioning that can make the trains relatively pleasant to ride. Meanwhile, the Elizabeth line came with cooling built in.

The new 2024 tube stock — now delayed until 2027 — will feature air conditioning. Image: TfL

The older deep-level lines (Central, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria) are harder to cool because of the narrower tunnels. The problem should slowly be alleviated by the introduction of the new 2024 stock trains, first on the Piccadilly line, then other lines.

That will take many years to fully roll-out, though, and will not cool down the platforms. Sweaty summer Tube rides will be with us for a little while yet.

Not enough is being done to protect bus drivers from high temperatures, says Unite. Image: Jens Riesenberg, Unsplash License

London's bus drivers need better protection from summer heatwave temperatures, says the trade union Unite.

With soaring heat now a fixture of the capital's summers, the temperature inside driver cabs can often exceed 40 degrees, which Unite says can heavily impact driver health and wellbeing, and exacerbate the 'already dangerous' problem of bus driver fatigue. This in turn prompts slower response times, a lack of concentration, dizziness and even fainting at the wheel.

Said one anonymous driver: "In the hot weather, the cabs can get unbearably hot and stuffy. It is not good for our alertness and health, as well as our customers who are suffering as well."

Unite — which recently launched a Fight Fatigue Now campaign — says drivers have also complained that some buses, including newer models, remain in service despite broken air-conditioning, while older models have ineffective air cooling systems.

Says Unite general secretary Sharon Graham: "For too long London bus drivers have suffered from the effects of high temperatures while TfL and bus companies have failed to act. It is absolutely unacceptable.

"Every year we have the same problem during hot weather and yet no progress is being made to protect workers.

"This is a serious problem that risks the safety of drivers as well as millions of Londoners. It requires immediate, decisive action, which Unite will not stop fighting for."

What exactly is Unite after?

The union says it's calling for the introduction of 'fatigue management' — which might include stopping employers from disciplining drivers who say they are fatigued; as well as clear rules for drivers who currently have to drive buses in heatwaves with no air con.

In reply, Lorna Murphy, TfL's Director of Buses, said: "Alongside bus operators, we take our bus drivers' safety and welfare seriously and contracts rightly require operators to meet high standards.

"Our bus operators have a comprehensive hot weather plan in place to protect all staff and customers during the warm weather, including air cooling systems fitted in all driver cabs. If air cooling systems on a vehicle are not functioning and drivers do not feel they can carry out their duties safely, they should contact the controller and action will be taken to support them.

"We encourage any driver with concerns to contact their employer, their union, or the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service (CIRAS) anonymously."

Is this London's longest escalator?

Image: Matt Brown

Angel Tube station certainly has a run for its money. I'm not sure exactly how lofty these moving steps are, but they must surely be London's longest outdoor escalator.

This is the main entrance to Olympia's new village in the sky. The exhibition centre, now 140 years old, was in dire need of a refresh and, by heavens has it got one.

Last time we were up here, it was to walk over the roof of the centre's great hall which — little-known fact — is partially retractable. That great glass canopy now has a young upstart competing for your attention.

Image: Matt Brown

The faceted glazed canopy (520 panes, in case you care) was designed by the firm of Thomas Heatherwick, he of the 'Boris bus', Olympic cauldron, and the unbuilt Garden Bridge fame, along with SPPARC architects. It's a bobby-dazzler... though I'm not sure about the gappy bits, which might funnel wind and rain in inclement weather.

Image: Matt Brown

It's quite a transformation. Until recently, this was largely unused roof space. I happened to take a photo of it during a previous rooftop adventure:

The area with the pipes and low roofs is now the canopied attraction. Image: Matt Brown

The Canopy, for so it is named, cocoons a cluster of fancypants restaurants and bars, including the Mexican Bar Arriba, Lillie's wine bar (and small-plate restaurant), and Wolves of Tokyo.

Arbour food hall. Image: Matt Brown

The biggest, and most informal space is a multi-outlet food hall called Arbour, from which I'm typing these words. It's pricey, but not unexpectedly so. A Guinness costs £7.50; an Americano £3.75; burgers £10-£15... pretty much in line with any smart cafe or bar in central London (or Kensington). The Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls pumps out of the speakers as I walk in, followed by When Doves Cry, You're So Vain and California Dreamin'. They've got the music right.

A sheaf of attractive towers climbs above the site. Image: Matt Brown

Beyond The Canopy, the vibe is more 'shopping centre', but without the shops. A boxy corridor and office portal known as Emberton Walk is given interest by a video screen along the ceiling, currently displaying a montage of bright balloons.

Image: Matt Brown

This leads through to the jewel in the crown, a new 3,800 capacity music venue. The British Airways ARC (because sponsor branding must trump catchiness these days) has already hosted its first gigs, and has the likes of the Black Keys and Van Morrison on its to-do list. A second ginormous escalator leads back to street level immediately opposite the ARC.

Image: Matt Brown

Olympia has spent a staggering £1.3 billion on these and other improvements to the venue (including a new theatre, yet to open). To be frank, it needed it. The centre was always a bit of a closed-off fortress, unless you happened to have tickets. Now, those massive escalators lead up, but also in, bringing a wider public into the Olympia estate. Yes, it's a bit 'high end', but also welcoming and friendly.

The new glass offices sit surprisingly well on top of the cleaned-up, art-deco Olympia. Image: Matt Brown

Diamond Geezer dubbed it a 'Dubai-like bubble', but even he was impressed at the scope of the works. A winning formula, then, which attracts both East End boys and West End girls.

Olympia's new walkway is open now to anybody, and free to visit.

Baby pelicans have been born in St James's Park for the first time. Image: Royal Parks

Pelicans have been a fixture of St James's Park since the time of Charles II, with their fishy lunchtime a major attraction for visitors. And all of a sudden, there are more mouths beaks to feed.

For the first time in the park's history, chicks have been born in the park. Back in the spring, the park's six Great White pelicans — Isla, Tiffany, Gargi, Sun, Moon and Star — began displaying mating and nesting behaviours, arriving for feeding in groups of three, suggesting they were taking turns to incubate eggs. They were also eating more fish. Then, three nests were discovered.

In the photo above, you can see the chicks — who are yet to be named — with their black/grey downy feathers, which in time will whiten.

In a few weeks, the new pelicans will join the rest — and you'll be able to see them enjoying their lunchtime feed. Image: Londonist

Says the park's punning manager, Mark Wasilewski: "I am truly thrilled to welcome the four young chicks to St. James's Park — it’s a real 'beak-through' moment in over 360 years of the park hosting pelicans.

"I can't wait to watch their antics as they grow and join the wider flock and develop their own distinct characters."

Most importantly, Wasilewski added: "We have increased the feeding for the pelicans, so they have all the fish they need."

The chicks are one month old and currently being protected in an area that's off-limits to visitors. At around nine to 12 weeks old, they'll join the older pelicans, becoming the park's latest feathered attraction.

Visitors to the park should not approach or disturb the extremely vulnerable chicks, and dogs must be kept on leads on the path around St. James's Park lake.

Brixton Market is under threat from private equity firms, say campaigners. Image: gerrypopplestone, Creative Commons

The future of Brixton Market is under threat, say local campaigners, with private equity firms 'circling' the south London institution.

Since 2018, the indoor market — which dates back to the 1920s and is home to a vibrant array of market stalls, bars and restaurants — has been owned by TPG Angelo Gordon and Hondo Enterprises, which put it up for sale last year. Traders went on record claiming the market was turning into a 'ghost town', thanks to increased rents from its landlord. Now, they say the market is being pitched to unnamed private equity firms for £50m in "a plan to drive £1.2 million in increased profits by evicting tenants paying lower rents."

To add to the jeopardy, it's claimed that a planned six-month consultation window has been scrapped, leaving less than a week before bidding for the market closes on Monday 22 June 2026.

In response, the Brixton Traders and Community Association (BTCA), supported by The Advocacy Academy (TAA), has launched a 'Buy Back Brixton' counter-bid, with an initial target of £15m to secure a route towards community ownership of the market. An event is also being hosted on Friday 19 June.

"Brixton Market as we know it could disappear," claim BTCA and TAA. "Local traders actively create the wealth that is then taken out of the community by private interests, and yet are told time and time again that their needs don't matter and that they are replaceable by other businesses/chains who can compete with rising rents, despite being the ones to build this space into what it is.

"We now have two choices. We can either accept that the market will always be run by developers who don't live here, don't have any ties to the community, and only see our people as cash cows — or we do something about it. For us, the choice is clear."

Read more about the campaign on TAA's website.

From February 2027, the Shaftesbury Theatre will be the Judi Dench Theatre. Image: Shaftesbury Theatre/Robert Wilson

The Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End is to be renamed after one of stage and screen's greatest living actors, Dame Judi Dench.

From February 2027, the theatre — the largest independent theatre in the West End — will become the Judi Dench Theatre, named for the actor renowned for her versatility, starring in everything from Shakespeare plays to Bond films to sitcoms.

Why the rebrand? Dench was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, a collective of actors and authors headed by playwright Ray Cooney, who regularly performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in shows including Run for your Wife, Two into One, and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. The Theatre of Comedy helped ensure the continuance of the theatre throughout the 1980s and 1990s (in the 1970s it had even faced potential demolition). TV executive Don Taffner then joined the Theatre of Comedy in 1986, taking the helm from the early 1990s.  

Dench's role as Jean in the long-running BBC sitcom As Time Goes By cemented her links to the Taffner family, whose company produced the show, and now owns the theatre as DLT Entertainment.

The hilarious Avenue Q is currently playing at the theatre, although sadly Judi Dench is not starring. Image: Matt Crockett

Says Dame Judi: "The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship to the Theatre of Comedy and to the Taffner family goes back many years and to have this beautiful theatre renamed after me is truly overwhelming.

"Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life."

The name isn't the only change coming to the Grade II listed theatre; various renovations are being made to the auditorium and backstage facilities, though it remains open for business. The brilliant Avenue Q is currently playing, but sadly Judi Dench is not starring.

A spectacular visualisation of what our city's public transport is up to at any given moment. Image: James Potter

ZONE ONE offers a "Live map of central London. Every Tube, bus, train, riverboat and aircraft moving in real time".

We've seen this sort of thing before, like this real-time Tube map, or this one, or this one.

ZONE ONE, by James Potter, is way more ambitious. It brings together not just the Tube but many other forms of transport, too.

Besides the five listed above, you can also watch parts of the Overground, Thameslink, Elizabeth line, mainline trains and part of the DLR. Zoom in, and there are the vehicles, sliding around in real-time. Click on them and you'll be given their destination (and in the case of buses, even their licence plate). Traffic cameras have also been placed on the map.

Traffic cams also feature. Image: James Potter

It's not perfect, of course. The data feeds that power the site only have so much resolution. So, for example, it's easy to find cases of boats navigating suspiciously far inland. Trains and buses do not provide GPS data, so their locations are inferred by countdown times. Plus, the site, as per its name, only shows what's going on in Zone One.

Boats tend to stray inland a bit (left) Image: James Potter

Caveats aside, this is a spectacular visualisation of what our city's public transport is up to at any given moment. In its current form, it's too unwieldy to use as a navigation aid, but it could personalise it to show, for example, 'every bit of public transport coming near me in the next five minutes, and where it's heading', then it could have way-finding potential.

Have a play with ZONE ONE here.

Tube photographer Luke Agbaimoni — aka Tube Mapper — tells us about his Favourite Stations project.

"What has fascinated me most is the connection people have with stations." Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

The London Underground is something quite special — one of the city's defining features and one of its biggest attractions. As the oldest underground railway in the world, it functions as the heartbeat of London.

For many people, it's also the easiest and most familiar way to travel around the city. As a result, most of us have experiences, memories and opinions connected to the Tube.

Tour guide ands author Katie Wignall at Piccadilly Circus. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

I've always been drawn to discovering what makes London Underground stations special to people since I began the Tube Mapper project. What has fascinated me most, as I've shared my images online, in my books and through my calendars, is the connection people have with stations. I regularly hear from people who tell me stories about them, some personal, some historical, some deeply emotional, and others light hearted — but all expressing why they love the Underground and, in many cases, particular stations.

Over time, that gradually led me to start the Favourite Stations project — in which I get people to show me their favourite Tube stations, and explain what they are special to them.

Playwright Tom Woffenden at Cockfosters. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

Central stations are generally the most popular, as they tend to be the busiest and most used. The two stations that get mentioned most often are probably Piccadilly Circus and Baker Street.

That said, people are often drawn to stations they grew up near or places where they have particularly fond or memorable experiences. Personal connections frequently matter more than the station itself.

Illustrator Shio at King's Cross St Pancras. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

When I ask people about their favourite station, I'm always amazed by the memories, stories and life events that emerge. Fiona, a singer and songwriter I interviewed, chose Peckham Rye station because, during a difficult period when she was homeless and working, she would practise singing in the waiting room before teaching lessons. The acoustics made it a perfect place to rehearse.

Comedian Shalaka Kurup at Finsbury Park. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

TV presenter and interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones chose Barons Court because, in the 1990s, there was a barber shop outside that was one of the few places willing to cut women's hair short. It also became a popular meeting point for her and her friends.

I also enjoyed stand-up comedian Shalaka Kurup's simple reason for choosing Finsbury Park: the ease of transferring between the Piccadilly and Victoria lines in the same direction via a straightforward platform passageway.

Videographer and historian Jago Hazzard at Maida Vale. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

One of my favourite photographs is of Nay, a London Underground train driver, at Bow Road station.

She grew up in a flat above the District line and remembers feeling and hearing the rumble of trains beneath her home as a child. It was wonderful walking through Bow Road station with her and hearing her describe the experience of driving a District line train for the first time and passing underneath the very flat where she grew up.

Train driver Mel at Newbury Park. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

I get asked about my favourite station all the time, and my answer usually surprises people: Bank/Monument.

For those unfamiliar with it, Bank is a giant labyrinth that fills many Londoners and commuters with dread as they navigate its seemingly endless corridors and lengthy interchanges. It's a station many people avoid if they can.

Anthony Dramanu  of Hidden Gems London at Gloucester Road. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

For me, though, it's absolutely fascinating.

Monument station first opened on 6 October 1884 under the name Eastcheap, and the wider Bank/Monument complex contains sections from many different periods. Walking through it feels a bit like exploring a museum of London Underground design, showcasing well over a century of architectural and engineering history.

I also find it amusing that the station has 16 marked entrances.

Am I covering all 272 stations in this project? Not necessarily, but you never know. The aim is simply to collect as many interesting stories as possible.

Check out more photos and videos from the Favourite Stations project, on Tube Mapper's Instagram.

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Transport for London is part way through a roll-out of 4G and 5G connectivity across the tube network and Elizabeth line.

It was supposed to be complete by now, but issues with testing have prolonged the roll-out into late 2026. The new tech is a big step-up from the, frankly, temperamental wi-fi signals that only work (sometimes) within tube stations. Indeed, the underground's 5G is often faster and more reliable than that on the surface in central London.

You'll get a phone signal so long as you're on one of the four UK networks: EE, Vodafone, Three and VMO2. Your phone should automatically connect, and there is no extra charge.

Around 60% of Tube stations that are underground now have coverage. Our updates are archived below.

Jun 2026: The Bakerloo coverage has increased, with track and platforms from Queens Park to Edgware Road now boasting signal. Non-contiguous sections of Circle line have also been added.

Jan 2026: The first sections of Circle line track are now 5G enabled, between Blackfriars and Mansion House as well as Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater. Euston Square and Battersea Power Station stations have been added, though not yet the track out from them.

Jul 2025: Half a year on from our last update, and some fairly big chunks have been added. The Northern line now has coverage from Stockwell down to the southern end of the line, with Bank to Euston also added. The Victoria line has gained signal between Vauxhall and Pimlico.

Jan 2025: The Bakerloo line is now furnished with 5G between Piccadilly Circus and Embankment. Also, the section of Northern line tunnel between Stockwell and Balham is live, with coverage also possible on the platforms at Oval.

Dec 2024: The entire Elizabeth line now has signal. Most deep-level tubes in the central section are also hooked up.

July 2024: In a major update, all of the Elizabeth line from the western portal beyond Paddington through to Liverpool Street now has coverage. Further progress has also been made on sections of the Northern and Piccadilly lines,

May 2024: Central line now complete from Holland Park to Bank. Signal available in all Elizabeth line stations, if not yet the tunnels. Covent Garden station added.

December 2023: Goodge Street station is added, along with Northern tunnels from Belsize Park to Camden Town, and Central line tunnels between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn. Four Elizabeth line stations have been added: Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street.

September 2023: Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are added, along with the Central line track between them. TfL also announces lots of imminent expansions, including the whole of the Elizabeth line, much more of the Northern line and parts of the Piccadilly. Euston's Charing Cross platforms were later added.

June 2023: Mornington Crescent has been added to the network. The tunnels between Camden Town and MC should be kitted out soon.

May 2023: Camden Town has been added to the network. With the eastern stretches of the Jubilee line, and short sections of the Central and Northern lines, approximately 10% of subsurface stations now have access. Mornington Crescent, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are promised next.

Sir Ian McKellen unveiled the plaque at Olivier's childhood home in Pimlico. Image: English Heritage

Laurence Olivier already has a statue, a spot in Poets' Corner, and a theatre auditorium named in his honour. Now add to that an official Blue Plaque.

On 10 June 2026, said plaque was unveiled at Olivier's childhood home at 22 Lupus Street, Pimlico. It was here that Olivier lived between the ages of 6 and 11, his father serving as curate at the nearby St Saviour's Church.

The young Olivier was already flaunting his thespian chops. After the actor Sybil Thorndike saw him in a school production, she gushed to Laurence's dad: "But this is an actor. Absolutely an actor. Born to it."

Olivier's statue on the South Bank. Image: Londonist

At 22 Lupus Street itself, the budding actor is said to have transformed a wooden box and a set of blue curtains into a stage, performing songs, dances and dramatic scenes for hours at a time. He would go on to sell out stages across London and the globe. Shakespeare was a speciality, although he also appeared in Hollywood films throughout his career, including Rebecca, Sleuth and Marathon Man.

Said English Heritage Senior Historian Howard Spencer: "What makes Lupus Street so special is that it is where it all began for Olivier, as an imaginative London child first discovering a love of performance. The plaque celebrates the formative home where one of Britain's greatest cultural figures first found his voice as an actor."

"In his lifetime Laurence Olivier's achievements, on stage and on screen, were unique and legendary," said McKellen. Image: English Heritage

Another great actor, Sir Ian McKellen, was there to unveil the plaque. In his lifetime Laurence Olivier's achievements, on stage and on screen, were unique and legendary," said McKellen. "He was a Hollywood star, the first Director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, producer, director, as well as actor."

Last year, a Blue Plaque was erected at the former Mayfair home of Audrey Hepburn.

St Mary's in Paddington, famous for royal births and the discovery of penicillin, is to be rebuilt to towering new heights.

Founded in 1845, St Mary's has since built up piecemeal, to no masterplan, beside Paddington Basin. This ageing congeries is increasingly falling apart; a section of the hospital had to be closed recently upon the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which is prone to collapse; just one of its problems.

"Despite spending millions of pounds every year on maintenance, we can't keep up with the rate of deterioration," says Imperial College Healthcare, the Trust responsible for the site.

Solution: rebuild from scratch.

Plans have now been shared of how the Trust plans to erect an entirely new hospital on part of the site, which would consolidate departments into one mighty 30-storey tower. This would reach around 185 metres above ground level, easily taller than Guy's Hospital at London Bridge, and potentially the tallest hospital in the world.

Says the Trust:

The busiest and most urgent services will be on the lower floors, so they are the easiest to reach, while wards will be in quieter areas with more privacy and natural light. And outdoor and communal areas, such as roof gardens, are being integrated into the design to support patients, visitors and staff. There will also be a helipad, bringing St Mary's major trauma service into line with other services across the capital.

According to the Trust, construction of the tower would begin on a part of the site that can be freed up relatively easily. This would allow the existing facilities to continue until the tower was ready. After that, the rest of the site would be cleared to make way for new life-science facilities and public spaces. Already approved is the Fleming Centre, tasked with finding solutions to antimicrobial resistance.

You may be wondering "What about the Alexander Fleming Museum?", which contains the preserved laboratory of the discoverer of penicillin. This is housed in the Clarence Building, a listed structure, which will be retained and upgraded as part of the scheme.

The plans would constitute a major change for the area, both at ground level and on the skyline. More importantly, the 800-bed hospital would bring modernised patient facilities with better integration between departments.

Image: Matt Brown

The scheme is funded by the Government's New Hospital Programme, and could be complete by 2035.

If you'd like to have your say on the plans, then an online consultation is running until 17 July, with various drop-in sessions also available.

TfL now says that construction could begin on the extension in 2029. Image: TfL

More details of plans for the proposed DLR extension have been revealed — including layouts for new stations at Beckton Riverside and and Thamesmead — as part of a public consultation.

The DLR extension, first officially proposed by TfL in 2020, would see a long-awaited station at Thamesmead, a town built in the 1960s, which has infamously lacked a rail connection ever since (even though it could've had up to three railway stations). A second DLR station would be built opposite Gallions Reach Shopping Park at Beckton Riverside, a sweeping area of regeneration in Newham.

Plans for the station at Beckton Riverside. Image: TfL

TfL's consultation — which is live from now until Thursday 16 July 2026 — includes plans for Beckton Riverside station, featuring a pedestrian footbridge with lifts for crossing the tracks; and for Thamesmead, which will be a raised station. The two will be joined by a new tunnel under the Thames.

As well as asking for views on the two station designs, TfL is after feedback on construction methods, and potential impacts of the extension build on local communities and the environment.

Plans for the station at Thamesmead. Image: TfL

In all, says TfL, the extension could support up to 30,000 homes and 10,000 jobs.

Says the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: "This is something I've long called for — alongside London's businesses and communities — because it will not only transform travel in a historically underserved part of our city, but also unlock thousands of new jobs and homes, boosting the economy across the capital and indeed the country."

Various construction commencement dates have been mooted; we've heard 2027 and 2028 — and now TfL says "construction could begin in 2029, subject to funding and approvals". Whether the line will be ready for passengers by the 'early 2030s', as previously estimated, remains to be seen. But for residents of Thamesmead who've already been waiting some 60 years, what's a a few more years?

You can get involved with the consultation, until 16 July 2026.

Chair of the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens Sue Price with Kensington Gardens Park Manager Andy Williams, admiring the restored Elfin Oak. Image: Royal Parks

London's most magical tree — certainly its most magical dead tree — has just been restored.

It was in 1928 when the hollow stump of a 900-year-old oak tree was moved from Richmond Park to Kensington Gardens, where the children's illustrator Ivor Innes slowly yet skilfully carved a village of magical folk into the wood: elves, fairies, goblins, witches and forest animals.

Amazing how a tree stump has brought joy to so many over almost 100 years. Image: Royal Parks

Two years later, the Elfin Oak was unveiled on 25 July in 1930, and has delighted scores of children ever since — not to mention many adults, including Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, who was photographed in front of it for the inside cover of the Ummagumma album. Its cultural cache was boosted by a children's book co-created with his wide Elsie, called called The Elfin Oak of Kensington Gardens, which was published on the same year the tree was unveiled, and began:

The Wee Fairy Folk have come to London Town. Have you seen their home in the old, old oak in Kensington Gardens?

Spike Milligan would be pleased to see the latest restoration. Image: Royal Parks

The tree has taken its fair share of weathering, both by the natural elements, and vandals. The latter prompted park keepers to enshroud the tree in an old raven's cage from London Zoo. Needless to say then, it's been through a few restorations. In the mid 1960s — and again some 30 years later — the comedian Spike Milligan lobbied to save and renovate it, as documented in the BBC's 2021 radio drama, Spike and the Elfin Oak. (Milligan quipped that his efforts the first time around were unveiled "in a blaze of indifference!")

In 1983, Norman Frederick Cook, a civil servant in charge of some 170 statues around London, took it on himself to repair and re-paint the figures on the tree. "At first we were going to put the job out to contract," Cook later told the London Standard, "but it was very difficult finding a specialist... I told my boss I was an amateur sculptor and said if I had the time, I would love to do it myself."

The Elfin Oak gained Grade II listed status in 1997.

The fantastical tree stump was Grade II listed in 1997. Image: Royal Parks

Now, the Royal Parks charity has unveiled the result of conservation repairs, carried out by DBR Conservation, in which the tree's 97 figurines — including Wookey (the little old witch), Huckleberry (gnome) and Harebell (fairy) — have been expertly and sensitively restored, once more vibrant, glossy and rendered in intricate detail.

Visibility of the Elfin Oak has also been improved, including the removing of a mesh lining, and a reduction in the number of bars encasing it.

Just look at the detail on this. Image: Royal Parks

Says Andy Williams, Park Manager for Kensington Gardens: "Kensington Gardens is one of the most magical parks for children and part of its appeal is the Elfin Oak, where elves, witches and owls inhabit a secret world. We are delighted to help restore this much-loved treasure back to its former glory."

Magical, really, how a tree stump has brought so much joy to so many people.

The Elfin Oak is free for all to enjoy. You'll find it by the entrance to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.

A start date for construction of the City of London's tallest building has been announced. Image: © Dbox

Farewell to 1 Undershaft, hello One London.

A start date for construction of the City of London's tallest building has been announced, along with a new name.

The office tower formerly known as 1 Undershaft will begin construction in 2028 for a completion in 2033. It will stand 309.5 metres tall, the same as The Shard. It will also boast a viewing gallery operated by London Museum.

But what of the name? 1 Undershaft always prompted a bit of a snigger. The peculiar moniker references the local road and church (St Andrew Undershaft), which in turn recall a giant maypole that once thrusted into the skies hereabouts.

Historical flavour has now given way to blandness. The tower will hereafter be known as One London, a reflection of its prominence on the skyline.

One London (centre) as it may appear. Image: © Dbox /Eric Parry Architects

The name is not exactly original. Apsley House, former home of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner, was historically known as Number One London, as it once constituted the first building of note when approaching London from Kensington. We wonder, also, how journalist Dave Hill will feel about its similarity to his independent local news website OnLondon.

Meanwhile, Simon Usborne has previously pointed out the rash of new-builds that use the 'One' device to attract foreign investment. Examples include One Blackfriars, One Nine Elms, One Kensington Gardens and One Tower Bridge. The addition of One London brings the trend to its natural climax, even if it doesn't finger the Undershaft.

The Aviva Tower (centre) under the 'white sheet of death' awaiting demolition. This will be the site of One London. Image: Matt Brown

One London will be built on a plot of land between the Cheesegrater and Gherkin, currently occupied by the Aviva Tower, also known as the St Helen's Tower. This 1960s skyscraper will be the largest skyscraper ever demolished in London, at 118 metres.

The scheme is being developed by Aroland Holdings and designed by Eric Parry Architects.

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What would the Tube map look like if we boiled it down to just the bits the stereotypical tourist is interested in?

Tourists are the only group of people who really need a Tube map — at least for the centre. Locals already know their way around, and business visitors take cabs. So if we only need to cater for the sightseer, then the map condenses down somewhat.

The map above shows only the stops that the stereotypical tourist might be interested in. We've substituted the official names for more helpful descriptors.

(Of course, we realise that many visitors have a more sophisticated itinerary... this is just a bit of fun.)

This article was inspired by an earlier map we made (way back in 2008), which really pared things back to just 12 stations on three lines:

Created by Matt Brown in 2008

What would you add to the tourist Tube map?

Looking for rooftop bars open before July? Here's our roundup.

Until now, very few people have had access to these iconic Tube trains hoisted above the Shoreditch streets. Image: Village Underground

Most Tube trains are beneath our feet, but here are two you have to crane your neck to see.

For 20 years, the two decommissioned Jubilee line stock carriages — in true Shoreditch style, zealously graffitied — have been perched above the Village Underground venue, just above the sagacious motto "Lets [sic] adore and endure each other".

The first thought to cross anyone's mind is "Can I go inside these?" and until now the answer has been "No, not really". Used as office space by the Village Underground team, very few people have able to access the Tube carriages, save the occasional Open House event.

All that is changing from Friday 3 July, when London's most gawped-at Tube trains open to the public... permanently.

The new rooftop bar opens on Friday 3 July. Image: Village Underground

Marking its 20th anniversary, Village Underground is opening its roof space as a 300-capacity terrace bar, serving 'draught beers, signature pours, and a curated wine selection', as well as food from Bad Boy Pizza Society. The rooftop will be open every Wednesday-Sunday thereafter.

Says Auro Foxcroft, Founder and CEO of Village Underground: "For nearly 20 years, we've had this suntrap spot on the Shoreditch skyline to ourselves, so it's exciting to finally be able to share it with our audiences and the local community. The train carriages have been part of how we've used the space day to day — from working to interviewing artists — and this feels like the natural next step, opening them up and making them part of the space for everyone to enjoy."

One of the trains being hoisted into position back in the day. Image: Village Underground

The rooftop bar will bring satisfying equilibrium to the transport-loving drinkers, who can already sip cocktails on (ersatz) Tube carriages underground in Cahoots, Soho.

Our abiding memory of clambering aboard one of the Village Underground trains some years ago was just how hot and stuffy it was — although nothing, we hope, a couple of standing fans and an icy Aperol spritz can't fix.

Village Underground Rooftop, Shoreditch, open from 3 July 2026

In an extract from the new, expanded edition of his wonderful book, Seats of London: A Field Guide to London Transport Moquette Patterns, Andrew Martin opens up a very special cupboard that any transport geek would love to glimpse inside.

Where moquette that hasn't made the cut goes to live out its days.

On the eighth floor of TfL's offices in Stratford is a metal-doored cupboard, of the kind you'd expect to be stuffed with old ring binders. But this one is full of moquette.

Each sample is about the size of a towel, and most were stowed away here soon after being delivered from the weaver. These are the lost moquettes: never applied to a train or sat on by a single bottom even for the shortest hop between Covent Garden and Leicester Square.

"TfL's design team habitually refer to their 'colour blanket': a long, multicoloured strip that is a sort of moquette equivalent of a Pantone swatch."

"Moquette is so weird," says TfL's Paul Marchant. "You can't make a decision about it until it's been manufactured." Back in the 1930s even being one of Britain's greatest 20th century artists was no guarantee of seeing a whole train upholstered with the moquette you'd been commissioned to design. Neither of Paul Nash's two patterns made the cut; one never made it past a sketch. The main reason is that woven colours can come out very different from the CMYK shades selected and viewed on a backlit computer screen. It's why TfL's design team habitually refer to their 'colour blanket': a long, multicoloured strip that is a sort of moquette equivalent of a Pantone swatch. (It would also make an eye-catching — though rather pendulous — scarf.) Several 'design routes' and colourways are woven, and sometimes one just doesn't come off. On my visit a variant of the new Metropolitan line moquette being developed had just arrived from Camira. You could get away with its rhubarb-and-custard effect on an MCC tie; not as something to stare at all the way home to Amersham.

Poplar, a variant of the new DLR moquette.

In the cupboard there's a variant of Poplar, the new DLR moquette, with a slightly more literal representation of the local architecture. A moquette from the Barber Osgerby design studio for the Elizabeth line has the same dense horizontal stripes as that selected, but warmer tones (orange, green, brown) and — above all — no royal purple.

'Lost' S-Stock moquette: "there's a delicacy about it, suggesting cobwebs."

An S-Stock moquette created by Paul's team during Covid features diamond shapes created out of thin diagonals in the sub-surface line colours; there's a delicacy about it, suggesting cobwebs. These 'lost moquettes' represent an alternative reality, not only for trains and buses, but also for Londoners themselves. Moquette is, to use an obvious metaphor, part of the fabric of our lives, as familiar to some as the cover of their sofa; like any aesthetic object, it affects mood.

"A certain type of person, rooting about inside this cupboard, will prefer all these rejects to the ones used."

Someone who would have found in the blue-green and orange colourway of the moquette designed by Pat Barrow for the Victoria line in the late 1980s a beauty absent from the mainly red and blue one that got the nod might have said 'yes' rather than 'no' to the marriage proposal they received on a Vic line train. But Barrow's Vic line moquette languishes in the 'lost' cupboard, along with a green, black and orange one Barrow did for the District at the same time.

A certain type of person, rooting about inside this cupboard, will prefer all these rejects to the ones used. We all know the type (I think I'm one myself): melancholics, forever brooding over the path not taken.

Seats of London: A Field Guide to London Transport Moquette Patterns by Andrew Martin, published by Safe Haven

All images: Safe Haven Books.

This is a sponsored article on behalf of ARK Shoreditch.

Shoreditch has been synonymous with cool for quite some time now. But this vibey neighbourhood can feel a teeny bit intimidating sometimes — and with a frankly dizzying array of Things Going On All The Time comes the risk of small fish, big pond syndrome.

How then, to go about creating a sense of belonging here? Well, you could become a member of ARK Shoreditch, a new haven of community and creativity set to launch this summer...

ARK Shoreditch is the latest venture by ARK Living, which creates community-first co-living developments in top tier London locations. It joins ARK Wembley and ARK Canary Wharf in offering all-in-one amenity-stuffed spaces to stay, live, work and socialise.

You can stay at ARK Shoreditch for as little as one night — ideal for short-term visitors who want to experience London as local — or sign up for a 12-month membership and really make the neighbourhood your home. For however long you decide to hang your hat here, you'll enjoy a fully-furnished studio apartment and access to all of ARK Shoreditch's community facilities.

So, what kind of perks can ARK Shoreditch members expect, then? Amenities include dedicated co-working spaces (no more tapping away at your kitchen table!); a gym; a wellness studio; a cinema room; an internal garden space with a retractable roof for sunny (and not-so-sunny) days; a games room for foosball, pool and table tennis; and — forgive us for burying the lede here — two whole rooms dedicated entirely to karaoke. It's all about removing any sense of isolation from urban living, giving you ample opportunities to find your people, quite literally on your doorstep.

There are tons of community events to choose from, too. These include film nights, arts and craft workshops, fitness classes, charity drives, professional development events, and supper clubs (did we mention that ARK Shoreditch also boasts a communal kitchen?!)

The playroom at ARK Canary Wharf

As for the studios themselves? These are stylish, functional, design-led spaces with kitchens, en-suite bathrooms, comfy double beds featuring built-in storage, and a TV. Utility bills and wifi are included in your monthly membership fee, and a cleaning service is available too. Should you run into any hiccups, there's a team onsite 24/7 to help.

Of course, you didn't come to Shoreditch to stay inside all the time — not when you're a sub-20 minute walk from delights like...

• Columbia Road Flower Market
• Hackney City Farm  
• Brick Lane
• London Fields
• Too many vibey bars and restaurants to count (Morito, Sager + Wilde and Little Georgia are among our favourites, and we're betting your new neighbours will have a ton of recs too).

And it goes without saying that — being in Zone 2 — you're in plum position to take advantage of everything else the capital has to offer.

Intrigued? Find out more about ARK Shoreditch here. Oh, and if you're thinking of moving here, you should know that the studios are getting snapped up FAST, so enquire today to avoid disappointment.

Image: Matt Brown

London Bridge is the only one not falling down.

Well, it can seem that way. The capital's crossings seem to be in the news every few weeks for some kind of metal fatigue or introduced weight limit. What gives? (Hopefully not the carriageway.)

To make sense of it, we've prepped a little graphic showing all the crossings with some kind of problem or restriction, with more information down below:

Note: for visual clarity, unaffected rail bridges are not shown.

Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge is absolute chuffing bliss at the moment... if you're a pedestrian or cyclist. Gorgeous, Victorian suspension bridge, leafy views, all untroubled by the growl of engines. If you did need to get across in a car or bus, then bad luck. The 140-year-old bridge, designed by Joseph Bazalgette, has a history of structural problems. The latest set have seen the span closed to motor traffic since 2019, much to the chagrin of Barnes residents who've lost a major plank of connectivity. The repair cost keeps spiralling and the politics are messy. It's going to stay this way for a long time yet.

Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge. Often clogged with traffic, but looks just dandy from down here. Image: Matt Brown

A bit of a cheeky entry, as this bridge remains fully open to motors, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, people on space hoppers and any other legal form of transport. That flippantly listed space hopper might be faster than a car, however. Recent changes to the road network at the southern end, coupled with the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge, have made this one of the most clogged crossings in the capital.

Albert Bridge

This spindly crossing has 'I'm a bit fragile' written all over it. Literally. It's most famous for its signs informing soldiers to march out of step, lest they provoke a resonant wobble. Hence, the bridge's nickname of 'the trembling lady'. The bridge has deteriorated in recent years, and was closed to motor traffic in February 2026 'for up to a year' after cracks were found in the cast iron supports. Opened in 1873, it was never built to take the weight of modern traffic. So, an optimist might say that, with cyclists and pedestrians still welcome, the bridge is living up to its original design specifications.

Albert Bridge. Image: Robert Lamb, creative commons licence

Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge has always looked a little tatterdemalion. The deterioration is now official, after TfL announced a weight limit to the 120-year-old span. No vehicles over 18 tonnes will be allowed to cross from July 2026. Except for buses. And emergency vehicles. TfL are keen to point out that the bridge remains safe, and that the restrictions are to prevent further damage while a repair plan is formulated... but it all feels like a first step towards more severe restrictions at a later date.

Vauxhall Bridge. Image: Matt Brown

Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth's been closed a fair few times of late, mostly to make the bridge safer for cyclists. It also suffers from structural issues, however, and has been placed on the same 'critical' list by TfL as Vauxhall and Westminster bridges. It remains open for now, but will need serious work in the near future.

Westminster Bridge

As with Lambeth Bridge, TfL considers Westminster Bridge to be in "very poor condition" and in need of major upgrades. It, too, remains open... for now.

Let's hope they don't fix those 'interesting' shadows. Image: Matt Brown

Hungerford Rail Bridge

The rail bridge into Charing Cross is also in a sorry state. Major track maintenance has not been carried out since the 1990s. Hence, the bridge will close for 22 days, from 26 July to Sunday 16 August 2026. That means the complete closure of Charing Cross mainline station. The Golden Jubilee footbridges either side will remain open.

Blackfriars Bridge

Parts of the bridge were partitioned off during the first part of works in 2022. Image: Matt Brown

The bridge remains open to pedestrians, cyclists and motor traffic, but parts of the walkways are currently halved in width by fencing. The span is undergoing a bit of an overhaul, including a multi-million pound paint job — started four years ago, but delayed thanks to the works on the super-sewer. In accordance with ancient City custom, a bale of hay has been suspended from the southern arch, to alert boats to the works.