I'm fortunate to have been on all of the London Transport Museum 'Hidden London' tours of disused stations and tunnels but not everyone has had that opportunity. The tours are only available on certain dates (not all year round), and the (sometimes) long climbs may have put you off. Some say the tours are expensive (I think they are exceptional value) and also, children can't … [Read more...] about Exhibition Report: The New Hidden London Exhibition at the London Transport Museum
The Tube
London Alert: Tube Light is Back and Introducing the NEW Smaller Version
Big news! The most popular product we've ever offered - the LED Tube Light is back and we're excited to introduce a smaller version! If you felt the original Tube light was too large, then the mini-Tube light is for you. It's more suitable for bookshelves and desktops. It's powered by 2 AA batteries or the included USB Cable. The Mini Tube Light includes 3 signs - Underground, … [Read more...] about London Alert: Tube Light is Back and Introducing the NEW Smaller Version
It’s Official: Crossrail – Aka The Elizabeth LIne – Is Officially Delayed Until At Least 2020
The announcement has been made. Many suspected this would be the case. Crossrail, London's new underground railway, has had its opening delayed until at least Autumn 2020. The entire line won't open until 2021 at the earliest as well. The new cross-London railway line, which will slash journey times across the capital, was supposed to open last year, but at the last minute … [Read more...] about It’s Official: Crossrail – Aka The Elizabeth LIne – Is Officially Delayed Until At Least 2020
London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground
I found this on Reddit the other day and knew I had to share it. Most first time travelers to London will quickly learn that the London Underground Tube Map is not designed with geographic reality in mind. It has almost no relation to geographic reality in London and you discover these quirks when you try to, for example, connect between lines at Bank. This dates back to when … [Read more...] about London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground
London Alert: The Tube Light Returns for a Limited Time – 5 New Signs Included!
You've been waiting and we've been waiting and now the Tube Light is BACK for a limited time! We will be getting more Tube Lights in Late May 2019 but the manufacturer will have VERY LIMITED quantities, so we need to know exactly how many to order in advance, so we're going to take orders for ONE WEEK. The box now includes an additional FIVE signs: Arsenal / West Ham / … [Read more...] about London Alert: The Tube Light Returns for a Limited Time – 5 New Signs Included!
Check Out This Amazing Animated Visualization of London’s Tube Lines
I can't stop watching this animated visualization of London's Tube Lines. It first made the rounds on Reddit and then it went viral on Twitter. It was made by Twitter user Baggma and I've linked to the original Tweet below. My favorite bit is the Elizabeth line coming in at the bottom, then creeping back away (it's recently been announced its delayed, probably for several … [Read more...] about Check Out This Amazing Animated Visualization of London’s Tube Lines
The Sounds of London – From the BBC Archive
A couple weeks ago, we discovered this archive. The BBC has released thousands of recordings from their sound archive for free to the public to reuse. I've done a search through the archive and found a ton of great recordings of London. One of the things I love the most about London is the sounds. London is a noisy city, but many of its sounds are unique to London. The Tube has … [Read more...] about The Sounds of London – From the BBC Archive
London Alert! The LED Tube Light Is BACK! We’re Getting Just 100 More!
All right, the LED Tube Light is the most popular product we've ever offered. We didn't think we were going to be able to get more but got the great news this week that we have secured another 100 units! They will be arriving here at our office in early December. I can promise they will ship before Christmas (via Priority Mail as well, which only takes 2-3 days). So, the … [Read more...] about London Alert! The LED Tube Light Is BACK! We’re Getting Just 100 More!
LONDON Alert! It’s Back! The London Underground Tube Lightbox is Back With Limited Stock!
Due to popular demand, we've brought back the London Underground Lightbox that we offered back in July. We've worked with the company in the UK and we can offer another 100 units for you all. They should ship in Mid-October. If you intend to order this as a Christmas Gift, now is a good time. However, we're hoping to do one more round of sales before Christmas. The reviews are … [Read more...] about LONDON Alert! It’s Back! The London Underground Tube Lightbox is Back With Limited Stock!
Crossrail News: The Elizabeth Line Opening Has Officially Been Delayed
Big news in the London Transport realm. Crossrail, aka the Elizabeth Line, London's new east-west underground railway, has had its opening delayed. It was scheduled to start opening in stages in December 2018, but Crossrail (the company building the railway) has confirmed today that they will not meet that target. They have set Autumn 2019 as the tentative open date. From … [Read more...] about Crossrail News: The Elizabeth Line Opening Has Officially Been Delayed
Event Alert: Travel on a 1930’s Tube Train on the London Underground
If I was in London on Sunday, September 9th, I would be doing this. The London Transport Museum is providing a rare opportunity to travel along the London Underground on a 1930's stock Tube train. Here are the event details: Step back in time with London Transport Museum’s art deco heritage train trips, and enjoy a journey reminiscent of the 1930s in Metro-land, when the … [Read more...] about Event Alert: Travel on a 1930’s Tube Train on the London Underground
Exploring Down Street Tube Abandoned Station: Churchill’s Secret Wartime Bunker
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue #6 of the Anglotopia Print Magazine in 2016. Support great long-form writing about Britain by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine today. You can subscribe here. London’s abandoned Tube stations have a special aura about them. It’s hard to believe that in a city of eight million people, some tube stations were … [Read more...] about Exploring Down Street Tube Abandoned Station: Churchill’s Secret Wartime Bunker
Useful Map Alert: The Wonderful World of Off-Peak – Free Maps of Attractions Along Each Tube Line
Transport for London has launched a new marketing program to encourage people to travel the Tube network during its off-peak hours. This is so that people can experience the Tube when it's less crowded, but also keep tourists off the Tube during the rush hour crunch. As part of this, they've worked with Time Out magazine to create a series of maps to showcase the most … [Read more...] about Useful Map Alert: The Wonderful World of Off-Peak – Free Maps of Attractions Along Each Tube Line
London Alert: New Import Product LIVE – London Underground LED Lightbox
This week we have something very special. An exclusive officially licensed London Underground LED Lightbox that offers 10 different sign options. This item comes straight from the UK and is not available anywhere else in the USA. Because these have a high import cost, we have to know how many to order in advance and will likely not be getting extras. So, if you want this … [Read more...] about London Alert: New Import Product LIVE – London Underground LED Lightbox
The Tube: Unique Aerial Map of London Showing the Tube Lines in their Geography
This has made the rounds on social media and I thought it was worth sharing with all of you. I don't know how accurate it is. But it's pretty freaking cool. A Reddit user has overlaid the path of the various Tube lines in London on an aerial picture. It shows the spaghetti-like tendrils of London's transport network as they weave their way in the geography of London. Very cool. … [Read more...] about The Tube: Unique Aerial Map of London Showing the Tube Lines in their Geography
Laura’s London: Exploring Clapham South Subterranean Shelter – Hidden London – From the Blitz to the Windrush
We all know there are tube train tunnels under London's streets, and we could guess there are some service tunnels for pipes, but it's still always a surprise to head down underground and find enough space for a village to live safely below. And that's what there is at the Clapham South Subterranean Shelter. This deep-level shelter had room for 8,000 people, and it only took … [Read more...] about Laura’s London: Exploring Clapham South Subterranean Shelter – Hidden London – From the Blitz to the Windrush
The Tube: A History of the London Underground
The world’s first underground railway, the London Underground was constructed as a response to the city’s rapid growth during the 19th Century. Today, it is the 11th-busiest subway system on the planet with 1.379 billion passengers using it from 2016-2017. Its tunnels stretch for 249 miles throughout London, often overlapping and giving passengers plenty of options for … [Read more...] about The Tube: A History of the London Underground
Tube of the Imagination: A Guide to Fictional Underground Stations
It’s a common practice in literature and media to create fake places for your stories. Maybe the real ones aren’t available or are poorly suited to your movie or show. Perhaps no real place exists that can meet the needs of your story, yet you want everything to be grounded in reality. Being a major world city, London has been subjected to numerous fictional locales in … [Read more...] about Tube of the Imagination: A Guide to Fictional Underground Stations
London Alert: Next Schedule of Hidden London Tours Revealed – Tickets Go On Sale April 6th
Hidden London tours are some of our favorites. We've been on two - in fact planned two trips around them. They're an excellent opportunity to explore bits of London that are normally closed off to visitors. You can read about one of our tours here. I received an email this morning outlining the next schedule of tours. Here are the details: From Churchill’s secret disused … [Read more...] about London Alert: Next Schedule of Hidden London Tours Revealed – Tickets Go On Sale April 6th
The Tube: Transport for London Reveals Fares for the Upcoming Elizabeth Line
Crossrail is coming. In fact, trains will start running on the new 'Elizabeth Line' from December with the entire new Tube Line opening in 2019 (it's been a project 30 years in the planning, see this article for more information). One big question that's been up in the air, however, is what fares would be like? Would they be integrated into the current Tube Network and pay Tube … [Read more...] about The Tube: Transport for London Reveals Fares for the Upcoming Elizabeth Line
We Need Your Help – Vote On New Column Series – Along the Lines – Exploring London’s Tube Lines
Very soon we're going to start a new article series here on Londontopia. We're tentatively calling it 'Along the Lines' and the concept is simple: every time we're in London, we're going to pick a Tube line and spend the day exploring the entire line, from beginning to end. We plan to visit famous places but also study the architecture and heritage along the line that might … [Read more...] about We Need Your Help – Vote On New Column Series – Along the Lines – Exploring London’s Tube Lines
London Alert: Buy The Official London Underground Tube Map – Anglotopia Exclusive
Due to two deaths in the family this week, we don't have a full Anglotopia Imports Product launch this week. We will next week, though. Instead, we've launched a single product that we think Anglotopia readers are going to snatch up - we've imported the official London Underground Tube Map Poster. We've ordered 50 and they should be arriving next week. It measures 25x35 and … [Read more...] about London Alert: Buy The Official London Underground Tube Map – Anglotopia Exclusive
Event Alert: Visit the London Transport Museum’s Acton Depot – Open Weekend in April
The London Transport Museum is one of our favorites in London, but the museum in Covent Garden is but a sliver of their entire collection. They store the whole collection in the Acton Depot, and occasionally it's opened to the public. LTM has notified us that this year's open weekend will take place on April 21st and 22nd. Fancy a potter about their massive collection and … [Read more...] about Event Alert: Visit the London Transport Museum’s Acton Depot – Open Weekend in April
Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line
Crossrail, also known as the Elizabeth Line, is coming and the folks over at Londonist have put together a great video that summarizes the new line and lays out the new dates when it will be running. This Tube geek can't wait to give it a test! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MipJnrRyiCE … [Read more...] about Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line
London Alert: Hidden London Tours Bookings Open Next Week! Exploring Tunnels, Bomb Shelters and More!
We've been on several Hidden London Tours and they're a great way to experience London in a unique way. We've done tours of two abandoned Tube Stations and I considered them highlights amongst all my travel to London. The thing is, they're hard to get tickets for because they're so popular. You can read about our tour of Aldwych here. So, Hidden London sent out an email … [Read more...] about London Alert: Hidden London Tours Bookings Open Next Week! Exploring Tunnels, Bomb Shelters and More!
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!
