Selected article
|
The Brill Tramway was a six-mile (10 km) rail line in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England. It was privately built in 1871 by the 3rd Duke of Buckingham as a horse tram line to serve his estate around Wotton House and connect to the national rail network. In 1872 it was extended to Brill and converted to passenger use in early 1872. Two locomotives were bought but the line had been built for horses and trains travelled at average 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h).
The line was upgraded in 1894 and rebuilt in 1910 by the Metropolitan Railway which introduced more advanced locomotives, allowing trains to run faster. The population of the area remained low, and the primary income remained goods to and from farms. Between 1899 and 1910 other lines were built in the area, providing more direct services to London and the north of England. The Brill Tramway went into financial decline.
In 1933 the Metropolitan Railway became part of London Transport. The Brill Tramway became part of the London Underground, despite being 40 miles (65 km) from London and not being underground. Seeing little possibility that the line could become a viable passenger route, London Transport closed the Brill Tramway in 1935. Little trace remains other than the former junction station at Quainton Road, now the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. (Full article...)
All selected articles
|
Selected biography
|
James Whitaker Wright (9 February 1846 - 26 January 1904) was an exceptionally wealthy English mining company owner. He became infamous when he committed suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice in London immediately following his conviction for fraud. Born in Stafford, Wright emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1870, before moving to the United States. Wright began promoting silver-mining companies in Leadville, Colorado and Lake Valley, New Mexico. Although none of the companies made money for the shareholders, Wright made a fortune. After returning to Britain, he continued to promote mining companies in Australia and Canada on the London market and used his expanding fortune to develop a country estate at Witley Park in Surrey.
In the 1890s Wright established the London & Globe Finance Corporation (L&GFC) as a method of financing more mining issues. The L&GFC also took over the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway in 1897. In 1899, Wright manipulated the accounts of various L&GFC companies to conceal large losses by one of its mines. The fraud was discovered in December 1900 and the corporation collapsed. In 1904, Wright was sentenced to seven years imprisonment at the Royal Courts of Justice, but committed suicide by swallowing cyanide immediately after the verdict was announced. (Full article...)
All Selected biographies
|
Did you know...
|
More Did you know...
|
Related portals
|
|
|
Selected pictures
|
-
Image 1Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
-
Image 2Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
-
Image 3Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
-
Image 4London General Omnibus Company B-type bus B340 built in 1911 by AEC. One of a number of London buses purchased by the British military during World War I, this vehicle was operated on the Western Front.
-
-
Image 6"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
-
Image 7Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
-
Image 8Arguably the best-preserved disused station building in London, this is the former Alexandra Palace station on the GNR Highgate branch (closed in 1954). It is now in use as a community centre (CUFOS).
-
-
-
-
Image 12The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
-
Image 13The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
-
-
Image 15Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
-
-
Image 17Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
-
-
Image 19A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
-
Image 20Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
-
-
Image 22The multi-level junction between the M23 and M25 motorways near Merstham in Surrey. The M23 passes over the M25 with bridges carrying interchange slip roads for the two motorways in between.
-
-
Image 24London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
-
Image 25The newly constructed junction of the Westway ( A40) and the West Cross Route ( A3220) at White City, circa 1970. Continuation of the West Cross Route northwards under the roundabout was cancelled leaving two short unused stubs for the slip roads that would have been provided for traffic joining or leaving the northern section.
-
Image 26The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
-
Image 27The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
-
Image 28Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
-
Image 29Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
-
Image 30Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
-
Image 31Sailing ships at West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in 1810. The docks opened in 1802 and closed in 1980 and have since been redeveloped as the Canary Wharf development.
-
Image 32Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
-
Image 33Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
-
Image 34London Underground A60 Stock (left) and 1938 Stock (right) trains showing the difference in the sizes of the two types of rolling stock operated on the system. A60 stock trains operated on the surface and sub-surface sections of the Metropolitan line from 1961 to 2012 and 1938 Stock operated on various deep level tube lines from 1938 to 1988.
-
Image 35Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
-
Image 36View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
-
-
Image 38Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
-
Image 39Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
-
Image 40Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
-
Image 4155 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
-
Image 42Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
-
-
Image 44The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
-
Image 45Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
-
Image 46Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
-
Image 47TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
-
-
Image 49Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
All Selected pictures
|
In the news
|
Archive
|
Anniversaries
|
|
|