The first part of the Underground
opened on the 10th January, 1863
when the Metropolitan Railway company
opending seven stations between Paddington, and Farringdon
they soon expanded, heading west and south
down to Hammersmith, and then Kensington
and then the Farringdon terminus was extended east to Moorgate, in the City
in 1868
the Metropolitan Railway then extended north for the first time
with the line from Baker Street, to Swiss Cottage
but at the same time, a competing railway company
the Metropolitan District company, built their first line
between South Kensington and Westminster
the District then went west down to West Brompton
and east to Blackfriars, until
Earl's Court station opened in 1871
and the District linked up with the Metropolitan
at High Street Kensington
Hammersmith station, on the District Line followed
and what would become the Circle line later to the east
had now made its way to Aldgate, and Mansion House.
the Underground then came to Richmond in 1877
with both the Metropolitan
and District Railway companies running services
over a new line, to this existing station.
in 1878 the District Line extended to Ealing Broadway
whilst the Metropolitan was also expanding
and by 1880, had now reached Harrow
the same year that the District Line had extended south down to Putney
in 1883, the Circle was becoming closer to completion
with the extension of the Metropolitan round to Tower Hill
with the District now going west down to Hounslow
the next year - 1884
brought the completion of what would become the Circle Line
with the two separate companies finally meeting at Mansion House
the District Railway though, contniued building out eastwards to Whitechapel
whilst the Metropolitan Railway
built the East London Line, down to New Cross.
the Metropolitan Line extended next, going to Pinner
Rickmansworth, before finally reaching Chesham
in 1889, the same year
that the District Line, made it down to Wimbledon.
the follow year, in 1890 then brought London's first deep tube railway
everything else has been built at cut-and-cover level until now
but the City and South London Railways - which would later become the Northern Line
was built, between Stockwell and King William Street
two years later, in 1892
the Metropolian Line had make it to Amersham, in fact
beyond as well to Aylesbury and even further
but that's not shown, on this diagram.
Back in the Central area of London
the Central Line was first constructed in 1900
known as the Central London railway
which went between Shepherd's Bush in the west, to Bank in the east
at the same time, King William Street closed
having only been open for 10 years
and the line was extended north, as far as Moorgate.
by 1903, the Northern Line had extended up to Angel, and down to Clapham
whilst the District had been busy too
now reaching Upminster in the east, and South Harrow in west of London
1904, brought about the construction of the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate
whilst the Metropolitan Line built a brand new line, out west to Uxbridge
with just ONE intermediate station after Harrow-on-the-Hill, at Ruislip.
South Acton appeared on the map of railways in 1905,
when District Line trains started to run there
and a year later - brought another brand new tube railway, what would become the Bakerloo line
opening between Baker Street and Lambeth
Also, in 1906 was another major underground railway
what would become the Piccadilly Line starting at Finsbury Park
this new tube line tunnelled its way under central London, and went all the way to Hammersmith.
The Bakerloo line had now reached Elephant & Castle too.
After Aldwych opened in 1907
what became the Northern Line expanded vastly
by 1909, now reaching Highgate, and Golders Green on two separate branches
as well as coming down the west end of London, to Charing Cross.
the Bakerloo, had now also reached Edgware Road.
The District finally made it's connection with the Metropolitant at Rayners Lane in 1910
and also ran services to Uxbridge
Back on the Met, Shoreditch station opened up on the East London Line, in 1913.
The Bakerloo reached Willesden Junction in 1915
and Harrow - and beyond to Watford, by 1917.
And then the Central Line started to expand
going west out to Ealing Broadway in 1920, and Liverpool Street in the east.
The Northern line continued to expand too, reaching Edgware in 1924
a year later, the Met reached Watford
and a year after that, the Northern line when further south to Morden
there were plans for the line to go futher, but it never happened.
The Northern line, did now link up at Kennington to give us the two branches, that we know today.
In the 1932 , the Metropolitan Line branch to Stanmore opened
this would later become the Bakerloo line
and is now today part of the Jubilee
in the same year, the Piccadilly line was extended north
from Finsbury Park up to Arnos Grove
and then up to Cockfosters by 1933
In 1941, the Northern Line was extended north
up to High Barnet, and Mill Hill East
during the second world war in the 1940's
many more extensions that had been planned, never happened
but new works on the Central line DID start in 1946
with the loop and Central line making its way up to Epping
and then Ongar, by 1949.
The western end was extended at the same time
getting to West Ruislip, in the same year.
In 1959, the shuttle service of the the District line to South Acton was withdrawn
then in 1968, the first part of the Victoria line opened, and by 1971
was fully opened all the way down to Brixton
The next extension to the network, was on the Piccadilly
with Hatton cross opening in 1975, and to Heathrow itself in 1977.
Two years later, and the tube got a whole new line ... the Jubilee
running through from Charing Cross up to Stanmore.
The loop of track at Heathrow Terminal 4 was opened next, in 1986.
In 1994, the Waterloo & City line appeared on the Tube Map, although it had been opened in 1899
but run by British Rail, and didn't transfer to London Underground until this year.
Later that same year, there were some closures
on the same day that the Aldwych branch closed on the Piccadilly
the Epping to Ongar branch on the Central line, also closed
And that brings us right up to date
with the Jubilee line being extended to Stratford in 1999
and Shoreditch closing on the East London Line, in 2006.
Finally, in 2007 the rest of the East London Line closed to be converted to the London Overground network
and then in 2008
the last new branch on the London Underground to be opened
was the extension down to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.