Development of the London Railways in the 19th Century

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The most significant development in London during the 19th century was the coming of the railways. London saw massive investment in a number of routes by private railway operators. The first line was built in 1836, linking London Bridge with Greenwich. This was a particularly short line though and soon many others started to appear.

By 1863, all the major London termini were constructed such as Euston, Paddington, Kings Cross, St Pancras, Fenchurch Street and Waterloo. All these stations were strategically placed around London and linked it with every other part of mainland Britain. In 1863, a hugely significant event stamped London's authority as a centre of innovation and excellence on the map and that was the building of the first underground railway line. The London Underground is now the oldest and most extensive subterranean railway in the world, a true legacy of the Victorians.

The railways meant that a greater number of people could travel in to the metropolis than ever before. A very significant development was the emergence of the suburbs. Wealthy people could move away from central areas of London which were quite often filthy and unsanitary places to live as well as being home to the very poor and destitute.

Outer areas of London were better suited to the 'well-to-do' who could easily commute to the city centre by using the extensive network of metropolitan railways. This simply exacerbated a class divide in the capital city. Famous authors of the time such as Charles Dickens were all too aware of this and the poverty of the time is recorded forever through literature such as Oliver Twist.

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