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The Victorians

The Victorians

Fenchurch Street Station opened 1841
The London and Blackwall Railway opened the first railway terminus in the City of London at Fenchurch Street. No steam locomotives were used on this line until 1849, so trains were dragged from Blackwall to Minories by cable and then have to reach Fenchurch Street by their own momentum. Gravity and a helping hand from station staff enabled trains to leave the platform.		  
 
  
London’s first pillar-box 1855
The idea of a pillar-box was credited to the novelist Anthony Trollope who had worked for the Post Office. London’s first pillar-box was on the corner of Farringdon Street and Fleet Street. There were ten collections a day, between the hours of 9am and 10pm.
 
  
First underground railway opens 1863
The Metropolitan Railway, the world’s first underground railway, opened, running between Paddington and Farringdon. In the first six months of its operation, an average of nearly 28,000 passengers daily made the 18-minute journey.
 
  
Jack the Ripper strikes 1888
The notorious Jack the Ripper murdered several young women working in Whitechapel district as prostitutes during the summer and autumn of 1888. The body of one of his victims, Catherine Eddowes, was found in Mitre Square, inside the eastern boundary of the City. No one was ever convicted of these murders and the Ripper remains unidentified to this day.
 
  
Tower Bridge completed 1894
After eight years of construction, the Prince of Wales opened Tower Bridge, designed by City Architect Horace Jones. The river had remained navigable during the whole construction. The bascule bridge allowed an opening of 200 feet and headroom of 135 feet, enough to allow access for almost all vessels to the Pool of London.
 
  
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee 1897
Queen Victoria arrived at the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral for a service held on 22 June to commemorate her reign of 60 years.

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