Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Geoffrey Haywood

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the role of the Metropolitan Railway Company and Metro-Land in the creation of the modern metropolis London that we are familiar with today. To do this, I will trace the history of the push for railway networks within London, the early efforts to create them, the eventual implementation of the London Underground, and the effects that this network had on the city and its expansion. Furthermore, I will be looking specifically at the Metropolitan Railway Company and its suburbs, affectionately known as Metro-Land, on account of the fact that it was the first underground railway (despite the majority of it actually being above ground) and it set a precedent for the establishment of subsequent lines and suburbs along them. Metro-Land also provides an interesting case study, given the Metropolitan Railway Company had special privileges from the government for its building expenditures and land usage through acts of Parliament and grants from the City of London, allowing it to become the giant that it is today. Finally, this paper will touch on the enduring significance of the London Underground, socially, politically, and culturally, as well as providing discussion on why the Underground map itself illustrates the reconfiguration of the city and the introduction of a new modernity. The Metropolitan Railway and Metro-Land played a significant role in the development of the modern day metropolis and set a precedent for future transportation infrastructure and the suburbanization of Greater London and beyond.

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Mind the Gap: The Metropolitan Railway, Metro-Land, and the Birth of the Modern Metropolis

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the role of the Metropolitan Railway Company and Metro-Land in the creation of the modern metropolis London that we are familiar with today. To do this, I will trace the history of the push for railway networks within London, the early efforts to create them, the eventual implementation of the London Underground, and the effects that this network had on the city and its expansion. Furthermore, I will be looking specifically at the Metropolitan Railway Company and its suburbs, affectionately known as Metro-Land, on account of the fact that it was the first underground railway (despite the majority of it actually being above ground) and it set a precedent for the establishment of subsequent lines and suburbs along them. Metro-Land also provides an interesting case study, given the Metropolitan Railway Company had special privileges from the government for its building expenditures and land usage through acts of Parliament and grants from the City of London, allowing it to become the giant that it is today. Finally, this paper will touch on the enduring significance of the London Underground, socially, politically, and culturally, as well as providing discussion on why the Underground map itself illustrates the reconfiguration of the city and the introduction of a new modernity. The Metropolitan Railway and Metro-Land played a significant role in the development of the modern day metropolis and set a precedent for future transportation infrastructure and the suburbanization of Greater London and beyond.