The Underground Map

The Underground Map is a project which is creating street histories for the areas of London and surrounding counties lying inside the M25.

Baker Street

In a series of maps from the 1750s until the 1950s, you can see how London grew from a city which only reached as far as Park Lane into the post war megapolis we know today. There are now over 85 000 articles on all variety of locations including roads, houses, schools, pubs and palaces.

You can begin exploring by choosing a place from the dropdown list at the top.

As maps are displayed, click on the markers to view location articles.

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

Click here to explore another London street
We now have 666 completed street histories and 46834 partial histories
Find streets or residential blocks within the M25 by clicking STREETS

SEPTEMBER

2017

Chalfont & Latimer
Chalfont and Latimer station is on the Metropolitan line. It is the junction between services to Amersham and Chesham. It is also on the Chiltern Railways line to Aylesbury. The station serves all three of the Chalfonts — Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter and, the nearest, Little Chalfont.

Little Chalfont is situated in the county of Buckinghamshire, on the edge of the Chiltern Hills and about 50 kilometres from central London.

The Metropolitan Railway reached Little Chalfont in 1889. However the village didn’t really develop until the 1920s when land was released for housing to become part of, as Sir John Betjeman styled it: Metroland. The present population is around 5000. The station is now served by London Transport Metropolitan line and by Chiltern Railways resulting in excellent transport to and from London; Marylebone station can be reached in little over 30 minutes.

The village has a post office and a building society as well as a pharmacy, a small supermarket and ab...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

St Mary-le-Bow
St Mary-le-Bow is an historic church rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren. According to tradition a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of Bow Bells. Archaeological evidence indicates that a church existed on this site in Saxon times. A medieval version of the church had been destroyed by the London Tornado of 1091, one of the earliest recorded (and one of the most violent) tornadoes in Britain, although the newly completed arched crypt survived.

During the later Norman period the church, known as ’St Mary de Arcubus’, was rebuilt and was famed for its stone arches. At that period the 12 feet 6 inches high vaulted crypt although only accessible from within the church had windows and buttresses visible from the street.

From at least the 13th century, the church was a peculier of the Diocese of Canterbury and the seat of the Court of Arches, to which it gave the name. The ’bow bells’, which could be heard as far away as Hackney Marshes, were once used to order a curfew in the City of London. This building burned in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

The church with its steeple ha...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Cromwell Curve
The Cromwell Curve was a short section of railway line between Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington stations. The line was opened by the District Railway (DR) on 5 July 1871. The tracks formed a triangle across the end of the v connecting the District’s existing routes from Earl’s Court station to Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington, and ran in a cutting parallel to the Metropolitan Railway (MR). The name derives from Cromwell Road which is immediately south of the site of the curve.

The track was opened without Parliamentary authority in an attempt by the DR to increase its share of the revenues from the Inner Circle (now the Circle line), which were divided on the basis of mileage of track owned by the DR and the MR. Sir John Fowler arbitrated the dispute, ruling on 27 July that Inner Circle receipts were to be divided 67% to the Metropolitan and 33% to the District (revised to 50:50 in 1878, due to increased traffic from the District’s western lines). Although the Cromwell Curve was used only occasionally, the dispute between the two companies continued ...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

West Acton
West Acton is a station between Ealing Broadway and North Acton on the Ealing Broadway branch of the Central line. The Great Western Railway built its Ealing Broadway branch and opened it for freight trains in April 1917.

The Central London Railway subsequently abandoned its policy of no through running with any other railway and secured powers to build a short extension from its terminus at Wood Lane to connect with the new Great Western Railway branch.

Central trains used the line from 3 August 1920. West Acton and North Acton were built and owned by the Great Western Railway and both opened on 5 November 1923.

The current station - replacing the original building - was designed by the Great Western Railway on behalf of London Transport as part of the 1935-40 New Works Programme. The design was by the GWR’s architect Brian Lewis and it was completed in 1940. The station is a Grade II listed building.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Forty Farm
Forty Farm was situated where the Sudbury to Kingsbury road crossed the Lidding at Forty Bridge. In the 14th or 15th centuries, people, including the Uxendon family from Uxendon Farm, moved south to form another small community at Forty Green.

This settlement was known as Uxendon Forty, Wembley Forty or Preston Forty. The farm at Forty Green was at first called Pargrave's, and later South Forty Farm.

Even as late as the 19th century, the area had not changed significantly. London's growing need for hay meant that Forty Farm had converted to hay farming by 1852 and indeed was noted for its horses. In the 1831 census, Forty Farm housed 10 people

The construction of the Metropolitan Railway in 1880 effectively destroyed Forty Green, although South Forty Farm continued into the 20th century. In 1928 the farm became the headquarters of the Century Sports Ground. The celebrated gunsmiths Holland & Holland had a shooting ground nearby. As Forty Farm Sports Ground the site of the farm remains green to this day.

The Holland & Ho...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Cranes Farm
Cranes Farm was a farm in Boreham Wood. Cranes Farm was situated just behind the modern location of the Bull and Tiger pub (a.k.a. The Directors’ Arms).

Cranes Way was laid out nearly on the line of the farm track.

The final tenant farmer of Cranes Farm, as compensation, was given one of the new houses Laings built in Manor Way at a low-rate, long-term fixed rent.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Ilchester Place, W14
Ilchester Place runs between Abbotsbury Road and Melbury Road, immediately adjacent to the southern boundary of Holland Park itself. Ilchester Place was built in 1929 as a set of small mansion blocks, designed by the architect L Martin.

It takes its name from Edward Fox-Strangways, the Fifth Earl of Ilchester, who bought the estate from Lady Holland in the late 19th century, and continued the process of development on the estate. (See ’History’).

The street is considered to be ‘prime residential’ and consists of large neo-Georgian 3-storey brick-built family houses. It is wide, tree-lined and very quiet. The houses have attractive small front gardens, often with neatly trimmed hedges and well cut lawns, and sub-basement garages. Some of the houses are attractively covered in creeper.

The road is particularly convenient for all the facilities in nearby Holland Park although the houses also have very decent-sized rear gardens.

Due to the width of the road Ilchester Place has a particular feeling of spaciousness.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Apex Corner (1920s)
This view of the Apex Corner roundabout shows the original Apex Garage. The Northway Circus roundabout was built as part of general improvements to the road system in the 1920s.

These improvements, along with the North Circular Road, created the Barnet Bypass (A1) and Watford Bypass (A41) which met at the roundabout.

To serve the traffic which passed, a garage called Apex Garage was built on the roundabout. Such was its distinctiveness that 'Northway Circus' began being called 'Apex Corner'.

In time, Apex Corner took over as the name - it is now semi-official, used by Transport For London as the destination on bus routes.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Brentford
Brentford was the historic county town of Middlesex. Brentford's economy has diverse company headquarters buildings which mark the start of the M4 corridor; in transport it also has two railway stations and the Boston Manor tube station on its north-west border with Hanwell.

Brentford at the start of its 21st century attracted regeneration of its little-used warehouse premises and docks including the re-modelling of the waterfront to provide more economically active shops, townhouses and apartments, some of which comprises Brentford Dock.

A 19th and 20th centuries mixed social and private housing locality: New Brentford is contiguous with the Osterley neighbourhood of Isleworth and Syon Park and the Great West Road which has most of the largest business premises.

Brentford station was opened in 1849 by the London and South Western Railway.

Between 1950 and 1980 was named Brentford Central.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Chingford Lane, E4
Chingford Lane is a main road skirting Woodford Golf Club. Chingford Lane shows some early Warner Estate development with terraced housing dating from the late 1870s.

St.Andrew’s Church of England opened in 1880 with services held in the Working Men’s hall and then in a room nearby. An iron church was erected in 1888. In 1923 the iron was replaced with cement and the frame had moved north to make room for a hall, and kitchen. The original wooden bell-tower was also removed.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard.

Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front, which contains the well-known balcony ...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Garden Museum
The first museum in the world dedicated to the history of gardening. The Garden Museum is based in the deconsecrated parish church of St Mary-at-Lambeth adjacent to Lambeth Palace. The church originally housed the 15th and 16th century tombs of many members of the Howard family, including now-lost memorial brasses to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (died 1524), his wife Agnes Tilney, Duchess of Norfolk (died 1545) and is also the burial place of Queen Anne Boleyn's mother Elizabeth Boleyn, formerly Howard.

St Mary's, which was largely a Victorian reconstruction, was deconsecrated in 1972 and was scheduled to be demolished. In 1976 John and Rosemary Nicholson traced the tomb of the two 17th century royal gardeners and plant hunters John Tradescant father and son to the churchyard, and were inspired to create the Museum of Garden History.

The museum's main gallery is the main body of the church. The collection comprises tools, ephemera and a library. The tool collection includes items purchased at auction and donations f...
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Abbey Street, SE1
Abbey Street takes its name from Bermondsey Abbey which was situated between Bermondsey Square, Grange Walk and Long Walk. Forerly Great George Street, the street lies on the line of the nave of the abbey church.

The names Abbey Street, Grange Walk and Spa Road give an indication of the earliest defining features of the area. Bermondsey Abbey was demolished shortly after its dissolution in the mid-16th century. The street pattern around it, however, retained key elements of its layout.The eastern gateway in Grange Walk was demolished in 1760 with the road being extended eastwards some years later.

Neckinger Mills. formerly Bevington & Sons Leather Mills. was one of the most famous tanneries in Bermondsey producing light leathers for shoes and fancy goods. The tanning pits were located beside the River Neckinger.

It was said that the fish oil used in the tanning process did wonders for the hair and skin of the (largely female) leather workers.

The mills opened in 1801 and continued production until 1981.
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SEPTEMBER

2017

Hendon Park
Hendon Park, totalling 12 hectares, between Queens Road (formerly Butchers Lane) and Shire Hall Lane was created by Hendon Urban District Council in 1903. Hendon Park was part of a medieval estate known as the Steps Fields and owned by the Goodyer family. From 1868 till 1903 it was owned by the Kemp family when Hendon Council opened the park to the public.

The park has a Holocaust Memorial Garden, which contains a pond, many plants and is enclosed by large hedges. The Childrens’ Millennium Wood planted in 2000 is a native tree and grassland area. The rest of the park is mainly informal parkland, with mown grass and mature trees, especially London plane and lime. It is a good spot for watching pipistrelle bats on a summer evening.

The landscape includes one of the largest specimens of Acer palmatum in London. Many mature trees survive from the original planting, despite damage caused by the Great Storm of 1987 during which many trees were uprooted and destroyed.

"Rout the Rumour", a large propaganda rally was held in Hendon Park on Sunday, 21 July 1940. The rally included songs, music and sk...
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MAP YEAR:	1750	1800	1810	1820	1830	1860	1900	1950	2024	Show map without markers
	TIP: You can navigate to different places within the M25 by choosing a location from the list you can see at the top

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