Travel revolution

A transport revolution transformed London at the start of the 20th century. Electricity became a practical and clean alternative power source to the horse and the steam engine. Electric trains made new deep-level Tube railways possible. Electric trams offered cheap, rapid transport on every high street.

Petrol engines also replaced horse power for buses and cabs. Londoners were soon taking more journeys than ever before using these newly mechanized transport modes.

Edwardian electric

A hundred years ago, postcards were the equivalent of email messages. Many of the cards featured the latest electric trams and trains appearing all over the Capital. Browse postcards in our Photograph Collection.

The trusty red bus

The B-type, developed in 1910, was the world's first mass-produced motorbus. It was so reliable that London's main bus company was able to replace its entire fleet of horse buses in just 18 months. You can see images of the B-type bus in the Vehicles Collection.

Hampstead Tube centenary

The Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway, now part of the Northern line, opened on 22 June 1907. The new Tube created an instant suburb at its northern terminus, Golders Green. A few years earlier it had been a remote country crossroads on the Finchley Road. Browse the photographs and posters for images of Golders Green.