Kingsway Subway entrance in Southampton Row

The Kingsway Tramway Subway is a cut-and-cover tunnel in central London that was built by the London County Council. The decision in 1898 to clear slum districts in the Holborn area provided an opportunity to use the new streets for a tramway connecting the systems in the north and south and, following the pattern of tramway systems in New York and Boston, it was decided to build this as an underground connection. Kingsway Underpass. ... Kingsway Underpass. ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... St. ... The County of London, shown within a map of Englands 1890 counties London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London from 1889 until 1965, when it was replaced by the Greater London Council. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Holborn (pronounced ho-bun or ho-burn) is a place in London, named after a tributary to the river Fleet that flowed through the area, the Hole-bourne (the stream in the hollow). ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Alternative meanings: Boston (disambiguation) The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. ...

Planning

The London County Council (LCC) had for many years wanted to connect its so-called "North Side" and "South Side" tramway systems in order to be able to send the "North Side" vehicles for overhaul to the Central Repair Depot at Charlton in South East London. In 1902 it decided to build a "subway" from Theobalds Road in the north to the Embankment near Waterloo Bridge to the south, from where a surface line would continue over the bridge. Legal problems however delayed permission to build the subway and tram route and it was not until 1906 that permission to build was granted, and then not to cross the bridge. Because of a sewer at the northern end and the District Railway to the south it was decided to build the tunnel for single-deck vehicles only. After leaving the Kingsway tramway subway, trams turned right to continue along the Embankment to Westminster Bridge or left on a service from Bloomsbury to the Hop Exchange, although this latter service was short-lived and the tracks were removed entirely in 1930. Charlton is a place in south-east London, in the London Borough of Greenwich, sandwiched between east Greenwich and the Woolwich Dockyard area of west Woolwich. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Victoria Embankment, London The Victoria Embankment, previously the Thames Embankment is a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in London in the cities of Westminster and London. ... View of the old Waterloo Bridge from Whitehall stairs, John Constable, 18. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The District Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. ... Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, with a glimpse of Westminster Abbey behind the tower of Big Ben. ... The Bloomsbury, a corner pub Bloomsbury is an area of central London, in the London Borough of Camden, named after early landowner William de Blemund who acquired the land in 1201. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

The approach from the north, near Southampton Row and providing access to services from the north-east only, was a 170ft open cutting with a 1 in 10 gradient. The tracks then passed through cast iron tubes underneath the Fleet sewer before rising slightly to enter Holborn tramway station. South from here the subway was built with a steel roof to Aldwych tramway station and, because it was not initially planned to run a public service south of this, the tracks leading towards the Strand were used as a depot with appropriate equipment and inspection pits being provided. Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... The River Fleet is the largest of Londons subterranean rivers. ... Holborn tramway station (not to be confused with Holborn tube station) was a tram stop underneath Kingsway (a road in central London), part of the Kingsway tramway subway route. ... Aldwych tramway station (not to be confused with Aldwych tube station) was a tram stop underneath Kingsway (a road in central London), part of the Kingsway tramway subway route. ...

Initial Opening

Initial services opened to the public on 24 February 1906 from The Angel, Islington to the Aldwych terminus, with a ceremonial opening by the chairman of the Highways Committee. The first journey took 12 minutes northbound and 10 minutes to return, even allowing for the horse-drawn vehicles also using the roads on the overground part of the route. On 16 November that year the routes were extended north from The Angel to Highbury station. Special trams were constructed from non-flammable materials for the route, and wooden trams, common on other routes, were not permitted through the subway. February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Angel was originally an inn near a toll gate on the Great North Road (at what is now the corner of Islington High Street and Pentonville Road), but now refers to this part of Islington in London. ... Highbury & Islington station is a National Rail and London Underground station, in the London Borough of Islington in North London. ...

In the parliamentary session of 1905 plans were submitted for an additional station at the south end of the tunnel, under Wellington Street. In the event, the opening of the new tramway built along the Embankment meant it was decided to link up with this route instead and the station was never built. A new sharp curve was built under Lancaster Place to enable an exit through the western side wall of Waterloo Bridge and a triangular junction with the through line was constructed. The eastern side of this junction, leading to Blackfriars, was later removed as part of the 1930s upgrade. 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... View of the old Waterloo Bridge from Whitehall stairs, John Constable, 18. ... Categories: City of London | Districts of London | London geography stubs ...

Through services

Through services commenced on 10 April 1908 from Highbury station to Tower Bridge and Kennington Gate with a procession of six cars going south from the Holborn stop through to Kennington then diverting to Elephant and Castle in order to return through the subway to Angel. The Kennington service was not commercially viable however and services were diverted to operate to Queens Road in Battersea which, due to a low bridge, could be operated with single-deck vehicles only. Drivers of the trams recorded difficulty in climbing the ramp north from Holborn tramway station and would sometimes roll all the way back to the station! Drivers on routes through the tunnel had to have at least two years' experience on other services to be considered for these routes. April 10 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Tower Bridge Sequence showing the bridge opening Tower Bridge is a bridge in London, over the River Thames. ... Kennington is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... The Elephant and Castle, commonly shortened to the Elephant is a major road intersection in inner south London, and is also used as a name for the surrounding district. ... Battersea, as defined by the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea, part of the old County of London, England, before 1965 Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. ...

Service patterns continued to change, especially with the opening of tram lines over Blackfriars Bridge on 14 September 1909, and during the 1920s it was realised that to remain profitable the subway needed to be able to take double-deck vehicles. In 1929 it was decided to increase the headroom to 16.5 ft by raising the roof or deepening the tunnel as appropriate. Work started on 11 September of that year, resulting in the replacement of the cast iron tubes by a new steel girder-supported roof and the diversion of the sewer. In places the trackbed was lowered by 5 ft, requiring the underpinning of the walls with concrete. After the last services went through on the night of 2 February 1930 the tunnel was closed to trams until the formal re-opening on 14 January 1931 using suitably numbered E/3 Type Tram No. 1931 on new route 31, with public services starting the following day. In the process the two tramway stations were also completely rebuilt. Service routes were now Hackney to Wandsworth or Tooting, Leyton to Westminster, Highbury to Waterloo or Norbury and Archway to Kennington. September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 11 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... In construction, underpinning is the process of strengthening and stabilizing the foundation of an existing building or other structure. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Hackney is the principal area of the London Borough of Hackney in East London. ... Wandsworth is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth by the River Thames in south London. ... Tooting is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. ... Leyton is a place in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, situated on the Prime Meridian and north of the River Thames. ... Westminster is the area located immediately to the west of the ancient City of London, in the centre of the wider conurbation of London. ... Highbury is a place in the London Borough of Islington. ... Many things bear the name Waterloo. ... Norbury is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, on the border with Lambeth and Merton. ... Archway is an area in North London in the London Borough of Islington. ...

A weekend service, which ran until 1932, was introduced between Highgate and Downham via Brockley. With a total route distance of 16 miles, this was the longest tram route operated entirely within the County of London. 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Archway is an area in North London in the London Borough of Islington. ... Downham is a district spanning the boundary between the London boroughs of Lewisham and Bromley. ... Brockley is an area of the London Borough of Lewisham in England. ... The County of London (in red), super imposed upon todays Greater London area, to show the difference in size with post-1965 Borough boundaries The County of London was an administrative county of England from 1888 to 1965. ...

Waterloo Bridge rebuilding

1937 entrance under Waterloo Bridge

In 1937 the rebuilding of Waterloo Bridge required the diversion of the side entrance to the tramway to a new position centrally underneath the bridge, which opened on 21 November of that year. The metal doors now covering that entrance are still visible today. Download high resolution version (800x601, 128 KB)Kingsway tramway, London, S entrance, photo by Nevilley 14/6/04. ... Download high resolution version (800x601, 128 KB)Kingsway tramway, London, S entrance, photo by Nevilley 14/6/04. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Tram abandonment programme

The London Passenger Transport Board was formed in 1933, taking over the LCC trams. It was decided soon after to replace all trams in London by more modern vehicles. The abandonment programme began in 1935 with trams in South-West, West, North-West, North and East London mostly being replaced by trolleybuses. The replacement programme proceeded swiftly until 1940 when the last "pre-war" conversion occurred, leaving only the "South London" trams and the "Kingsway Routes" 31, 33 and 35, the only tram routes operating into North London to survive the war. Prototype "Kingsway Trolleybus" No. 1379, with exits on both sides of the vehicle, was constructed for feasibility tests through the Subway, but these were unsuccessful as trolleybuses would have had to run on battery power through the subway, headway restrictions making it impossible to use overhead current collection. The transport of London has, since 1933, been under a single control with various names. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... There have been two separate generations of trams in London, one running from 1861 to 1952 and the second starting in 2000. ... A trolleybus in Arnhem An electric trolleybus (also known as trolley bus or trackless trolley or simply trolley) is a bus powered by two overhead electric wires, from which the bus draws electricity using two trolley poles. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1946 it was decided to replace all London's remaining trams "as soon as possible", this time by diesel buses. The first Kingsway subway route to be withdrawn was Route 31 on 1 October 1950 with the remaining two routes, 33 & 35, being withdrawn after service on Saturday 5 April 1952, the last public services being 'specials' shortly after midnight on the Sunday. During the early hours of the next morning the remaining vehicles still north of the subway were run through to the depots south of the Thames. 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Closure and a new use

Trams in London were finally abandoned in London on 5 July 1952, after which street tracks were lifted, but those in the subway mostly remain in place even today. In 1953 London Transport used the tramway to store 120 unused buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation but proposals to convert the tramway subway to a car park or a film studio failed and it was leased out as a storage facility from October 1957. There have been two separate generations of trams in London, one running from 1861 to 1952 and the second starting in 2000. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Founded in 1933 by an act of Parliament under Transport Minister Herbert Stanley Morrison, The London Passenger Transport Board generally known London Transport was A public authority appointed under act of Parliament, charged with responsibility for providing an adequate and properly co-ordinated system of passenger transport (Buses including Green... A coronation is a ceremony in which a monarch is adorned with a coronation crown as a symbol of monarchy. ...

In June 1958 the London County Council proposed making use of the tunnel for light traffic coming from Waterloo Bridge in order to reduce traffic congestion at its junction with the Strand, but it was not until April 1962 that the go-ahead was given for part of the southern end of the subway to be used in this way. Construction began that September and it opened to road traffic as the Strand Underpass on 21 January 1964. 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Entrance to the underpass from Waterloo Bridge The Strand Underpass (sometimes incorrectly called the Kingsway Underpass) is a vehicle tunnel in central London connecting Waterloo Bridge to Kingsway near Holborn. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The subway in humour

After closure, a number of cartoons appeared in London newspapers based on the closed tramway, with ghostly trams or 'lost' tube trains. A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ...

On 23 November 1954 an edition of The Goon Show entitled The Last Tram featured a driver and conductress who hid in the subway for 2.5 years in order to ensure they were London's last tram. November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Goon Show was a hugely popular and extremely influential British radio comedy programme, which was originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. ...

The Daily Mail cartoon Flook once stole a tram having found a 'secret spur' leading onto the Central Line and was chased by a tube train. The front page of the Daily Mail on the 7th February 2005. ... The Central Line is a line of the London Underground and coloured Red on the Tube Map. ...

Other uses

The remaining northern part of the tunnel is sometimes used in films, for example the secret entrance to the base in the film version of The Avengers and a railway tunnel in the film Bhowani Junction. The Avengers is a 1998 film based on the British cult television series of the same name from the 1960s. ... Bhowani Junction is a 1952 novel by John Masters, which became the basis of a successful 1956 film. ...

A Portakabin near the north of the tunnel was used as a flood control headquarters for the Greater London Council until the opening of the Thames Barrier in 1984. The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to its abolition in 1986. ... The Thames Barrier is a flood control structure on the River Thames at Woolwich Reach in London. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Subterranea Britannica page on Kingsway Tram Subway
• History, old photos, and illustrated account of a visit to the site in November 2003