"The completion of the full circle of London Overground provides Iain Sinclair with a new path to walk the shifting territory of the capital. It is a route haunted by the unquiet voices of the city's many literary ghosts. With thirty-three stations and thirty-five miles to tramp--plus inevitable and unforeseen detours and false steps--he embarks on a marathon circumnavigation at street level, tracking the necklace of garages, fish farms, bakeries, convenience cafés, cycle-repair shops and Minder lock-ups which enclose inner London."--back cover.
The Orange Line, the Ginger Line or the M25 Railway, call it what it what you will, the London Overground, born in 2007, has become one of London’s transport success stories. Running complimentary to, and in some places, in combination with, London Underground, it carries more than 180 million passengers a year on 9 lines and serves 112 stations over a combined length of more than 100 miles. An amalgamation of several commuter lines (and one London Underground Line) that ring London it now branches out to all points of the compass. Over recent years it’s also undergone unprecedented change and investment (with a few troubles along the way) with the phasing out of old and the introduction of new rolling stock. This book takes a photographic look at these changes including a look at the routes, the stations and the trains including Classes 172, 315, 317, 378 and the brand new 710s with a brief history of each. And with so much freight sharing the Overground routes this is briefly looked at as well.
Why is the Victoria Line so hot? What is an Electrical Multiple Unit? Is it really possible to ride from King's Cross to King's Cross on the Circle line? The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and illogical metropolitan transport system in the world, the result of a series of botch-jobs and improvisations.Yet it transports over one billion passengers every year - and this figure is rising. It is iconic, recognised the world over, and loved and despised by Londoners in equal measure. Blending reportage, humour and personal encounters, Andrew Martin embarks on a wonderfully engaging social history of London's underground railway system (which despite its name, is in fact fifty-five per cent overground). Underground, Overground is a highly enjoyable, witty and informative history of everything you need to know about the Tube.
The only way to truly discover a city, they say, is on foot. Taking this to extremes, Mark Mason sets out to walk the entire length of the London Underground - overground - passing every station on the way. In a story packed with historical trivia, personal musings and eavesdropped conversations, Mark learns how to get the best gossip in the City, where to find a pint at 7am, and why the Bank of England won't let you join the M11 northbound at Junction 5. He has an East End cup of tea with the Krays' official biographer, discovers what cabbies mean by 'on the cotton', and meets the Archers star who was the voice of 'Mind the Gap'. Over the course of several hundred miles, Mark contemplates London's contradictions as well as its charms. He gains insights into our fascination with maps and sees how walking changes our view of the world. Above all, in this love letter to a complicated friend, he celebrates the sights, sounds and soul of the greatest city on earth.
Travel under the streets of London with this lavishly illustrated exploration of abandoned, modified, and reused Underground tunnels, stations, and architecture.
A New Statesman Book of the Year London. A city apart. Inimitable. Or so it once seemed. Spiralling from the outer limits of the Overground to the pinnacle of the Shard, Iain Sinclair encounters a metropolis stretched beyond recognition. The vestiges of secret tunnels, the ghosts of saints and lost poets lie buried by developments, the cycling revolution and Brexit. An electrifying final odyssey, The Last London is an unforgettable vision of the Big Smoke before it disappears into the air of memory.
Published in conjunction with TFL, this is a comprehensive guide to the London Underground, combining a historical overview, illustrations and newly commissioned photography.
"Takes a comprehensive view, covering: The history of the component railways; the physical works needed; development of the orbital concept; fitting in the freight traffic; rolling stock and service provision; challenges for the future"--Jacket.
A lively, thought-provoking exploration of the contemporary regeneration of London Plans to regenerate East London and transform the capital are integral to the vision of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This title brings into focus notions of regeneration within the specific context of London: what does the term actually mean, how has it been applied and is it being applied? Historical overviews of large-scale interventions from the past are combined with case studies of new and planned schemes, and explorations of how change and rejuvenation can retain or enhance the city’s unique sense of place and identity. Looking beyond the Games, the title will look at the direction in which regeneration is going in a post-recession economy. How can a long-established, highly protected and even cherished city, like London, continue to renew and expand? Unlike Chinese or Middle Eastern cities, London is constrained by a wide range of factors from heritage protection and geography to finance and democratic accountability; yet the city continues to grow, change and develop, either incrementally or through big, dramatic leaps, like the Olympic Park and King’s Cross. In this way, London provides a fascinating case study of how a developed, Western city can negotiate and greet the pressures for change. Contributors: Michael Batty, Peter Bishop, Matthew Carmona, Murray Fraser, Matthew Gandy, Robert Harbison, Peter Murray and Austin Williams Architects: Sir Terry Farrell, Richard McCormac Projects: King’s Cross, the London 2012 Games and the Shard
