London's Transport Museum
Encyclopedia
The London Transport Museum, or LT Museum based in Covent Garden
, London
, seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of Britain
's capital city. The majority of the museum's exhibits originated in the collection of London Transport
, but, since the creation of Transport for London
(TfL) in 2000, the remit of the museum has expanded to cover all aspects of transportation in the city.
The museum operates from two sites within London. The main site in Covent Garden uses the name of its parent institution, sometimes suffixed by Covent Garden, and is open to the public every day, having recently reopened following a two year refurbishment. The other site, located in Acton
, is known as the London Transport Museum Depot and is principally a storage site that is open on regular visitor days throughout the year.
The museum was briefly re-named London's Transport Museum to reflect its coverage of topics beyond London Transport
, but it reverted to its previous name in 2007 to coincide with the reopening of the Covent Garden site.
iron and glass building that originally formed part of the Covent Garden vegetable, fruit and flower market. It was designed as a dedicated flower market by William Rogers
in 1871 and is located between Russell Street, Tavistock Street, Wellington Street and the east side of the former market square. The market moved out in 1971, and the building was first occupied by the London Transport Museum in 1980. Previously the collection had been located at Syon Park since 1973 and before that had formed part of the British Transport Museum at Clapham
.
On 4 September 2005 the museum closed for a major £22 million refurbishment designed by Bryan Avery
of Avery Associates Architects to enable the expansion of the display collection to encompass the larger remit of TfL which administers all forms of public transport. Enhanced educational facilities were also required. The museum reopened on 22 November 2007.
The entrance to the museum is from the Covent Garden Piazza, amongst the Piazza's many tourist attractions. The museum is within walking distance from both Covent Garden tube station
and Charing Cross railway station
.
, West London, and was opened in October 1999. The depot holds the majority of the Museum's collections which are not on display in the main museum in Covent Garden, is the base for the museum's curators and conservators, and is used for the display of items too large to be accommodated in the main facility.
The depot provides 6,000 square metres of storage space in secure, environmentally controlled conditions and houses over 370,000 items of all types, including many original works of art used for the Museum's collections of poster
s, signs, model
s, photograph
s, engineering drawing
s and uniform
s. The building has both road access and a rail connection to the London Underground
network, which allows the storage and display of significant numbers of bus
es, tram
s, trolleybus
es, rail
rolling stock
and other vehicles.
The depot is not regularly open to the public, but is fully equipped to receive visitors, with ticket office, shop and other visitor facilities. It opens to the public for special events, including themed open weekends - usually two or three times per year. It is within easy walking distance of Acton Town tube station
.
(LGOC) when it began to preserve buses being retired from service. After the LGOC was taken over by the London Electric Railway (LER), the collection was expanded to include rail vehicles. It continued to expand after the LER became part of the London Passenger Transport Board
in the 1930s and as the organization passed through various successor bodies up to TfL, London's current transport authority.
The collection has had a number of homes. It was housed as part of the Museum of British Transport at a disused tram depot in Clapham
High Street (now a supermarket) from 1963 to 1972, and then at Syon Park in Brentford
from 1973 to 1977, before being moved to Covent Garden in 1980. Most of the other exhibits moved to York
on formation of the National Railway Museum
in 1975.
The Covent Garden building has on display many examples of bus
es, tram
s, trolleybus
es and rail
vehicles from 19th and 20th centuries as well as artifacts and exhibits related to the operation and marketing of passenger services and the impact that the developing transport network has had on the city and its population.
Larger exhibits held at Acton depot include a complete 1938 stock
tube train as well as early locomotives from the first sub-surface and first deep-level lines.
Other transport museums with items from London Transport:
Other transport and industrial museums in London:
Other major transport museums in the UK:
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's capital city. The majority of the museum's exhibits originated in the collection of London Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
, but, since the creation of Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL) in 2000, the remit of the museum has expanded to cover all aspects of transportation in the city.
The museum operates from two sites within London. The main site in Covent Garden uses the name of its parent institution, sometimes suffixed by Covent Garden, and is open to the public every day, having recently reopened following a two year refurbishment. The other site, located in Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, is known as the London Transport Museum Depot and is principally a storage site that is open on regular visitor days throughout the year.
The museum was briefly re-named London's Transport Museum to reflect its coverage of topics beyond London Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
, but it reverted to its previous name in 2007 to coincide with the reopening of the Covent Garden site.
The museum (Covent Garden)
The museum's main facility is located in a VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
iron and glass building that originally formed part of the Covent Garden vegetable, fruit and flower market. It was designed as a dedicated flower market by William Rogers
William Rogers
-Politics:*William P. Rogers , U.S. Attorney General under Dwight Eisenhower and Secretary of State under Richard Nixon*Will Rogers, Jr. , congressman from California from 1943 to 1944 and the son of the noted humorist by the same name*Will Rogers , congressman from Oklahoma, 1933–1942*William D...
in 1871 and is located between Russell Street, Tavistock Street, Wellington Street and the east side of the former market square. The market moved out in 1971, and the building was first occupied by the London Transport Museum in 1980. Previously the collection had been located at Syon Park since 1973 and before that had formed part of the British Transport Museum at Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
.
On 4 September 2005 the museum closed for a major £22 million refurbishment designed by Bryan Avery
Bryan Avery
Bryan Avery RIBA is a London based architect, born in Berkshire, England in 1944He studied architecture at Leicester College of Art , followed by a MA in the History and Theory of Architecture at Essex University under Professors Joseph Rykwert and Dalibor Veseley...
of Avery Associates Architects to enable the expansion of the display collection to encompass the larger remit of TfL which administers all forms of public transport. Enhanced educational facilities were also required. The museum reopened on 22 November 2007.
The entrance to the museum is from the Covent Garden Piazza, amongst the Piazza's many tourist attractions. The museum is within walking distance from both Covent Garden tube station
Covent Garden tube station
Covent Garden is a London Underground station in Covent Garden. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Leicester Square and Holborn. The station is a Grade II listed building, on the corner of Long Acre and James Street...
and Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
.
The depot (Acton)
The Museum Depot is located in ActonActon, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, West London, and was opened in October 1999. The depot holds the majority of the Museum's collections which are not on display in the main museum in Covent Garden, is the base for the museum's curators and conservators, and is used for the display of items too large to be accommodated in the main facility.
The depot provides 6,000 square metres of storage space in secure, environmentally controlled conditions and houses over 370,000 items of all types, including many original works of art used for the Museum's collections of poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s, signs, model
Model (physical)
A physical model is a smaller or larger physical copy of an object...
s, photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s, engineering drawing
Engineering drawing
An engineering drawing, a type of technical drawing, is used to fully and clearly define requirements for engineered items.Engineering drawing produces engineering drawings . More than just the drawing of pictures, it is also a language—a graphical language that communicates ideas and information...
s and uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s. The building has both road access and a rail connection to the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
network, which allows the storage and display of significant numbers of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s, trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es, rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
and other vehicles.
The depot is not regularly open to the public, but is fully equipped to receive visitors, with ticket office, shop and other visitor facilities. It opens to the public for special events, including themed open weekends - usually two or three times per year. It is within easy walking distance of Acton Town tube station
Acton Town tube station
Acton Town is a London Underground station in Acton, west London, served by the Piccadilly and District lines. The station is at the junction of Gunnersbury Lane and Bollo Lane and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
.
The collection
The first parts of the collection were brought together at the beginning of the 20th century by the London General Omnibus CompanyLondon General Omnibus Company
The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.- Overview :...
(LGOC) when it began to preserve buses being retired from service. After the LGOC was taken over by the London Electric Railway (LER), the collection was expanded to include rail vehicles. It continued to expand after the LER became part of the London Passenger Transport Board
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
in the 1930s and as the organization passed through various successor bodies up to TfL, London's current transport authority.
The collection has had a number of homes. It was housed as part of the Museum of British Transport at a disused tram depot in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
High Street (now a supermarket) from 1963 to 1972, and then at Syon Park in Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
from 1973 to 1977, before being moved to Covent Garden in 1980. Most of the other exhibits moved to York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
on formation of the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in 1975.
The Covent Garden building has on display many examples of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s, trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es and rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
vehicles from 19th and 20th centuries as well as artifacts and exhibits related to the operation and marketing of passenger services and the impact that the developing transport network has had on the city and its population.
Larger exhibits held at Acton depot include a complete 1938 stock
London Underground 1938 Stock
The 1938 Tube Stock is a London Underground tube stock design. The trains were built by Metro-Cammell and Birmingham RC&W, and were used on the London Underground until 1988. During their long lives they worked on the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Northern, East London and Central lines...
tube train as well as early locomotives from the first sub-surface and first deep-level lines.
Transport links
London Buses | Covent Garden RV1 London Buses route RV1 London Buses route RV1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Prior to its launch, the service was promoted as Riverside Bus, and was intended to open up the south bank of riverside London, connecting visitor attractions such as the Tower of London, the Tate Modern, the... Aldwych 4 London Buses route 4 London Buses route 4 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:... , 11 London Buses route 11 London Buses route 11 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:... , 15 London Buses route 15 London Buses route 15 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The regular service on route 15 is currently contracted to Stagecoach London and operated with modern double-decker buses... , 23 London Buses route 23 London Buses route 23 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.... , 26 London Buses route 26 London Buses route 26 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Capital.-History:... , 76, 172 Aldwych 243 London Buses route 243 London Buses route 243 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:... , 341 |
London Underground | Covent Garden Covent Garden tube station Covent Garden is a London Underground station in Covent Garden. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Leicester Square and Holborn. The station is a Grade II listed building, on the corner of Long Acre and James Street... |
See also
- List of British heritage and private railways
- List of transport museums (worldwide)
- Island Line (Isle of Wight) - operates reconditioned London underground trains dating from 1938 in regular public service
Other transport museums with items from London Transport:
- Alderney RailwayAlderney RailwayThe Alderney Railway in Alderney is the only working railway in the Channel Islands. It opened in 1847 and runs for about two miles , mostly following a coastal route, from Braye Road to Mannez Quarry and Lighthouse....
- on the Island of AlderneyAlderneyAlderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick... - East Anglia Transport MuseumEast Anglia Transport MuseumThe East Anglia Transport Museum is an open air transport museum, with numerous historic public transport vehicles . It is located in Carlton Colville a suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk...
- near LowestoftLowestoftLowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich... - National Railway MuseumNational Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
- YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence... - National Tramway MuseumNational Tramway MuseumThe National Tramway Museum, at Crich, in Derbyshire, England, is situated within Crich Tramway Village, a period village containing a pub, cafe, old-style sweetshop, including the tram depots. The village is also home to the Eagle Press, a small museum dedicated to Letterpress Printing including...
- CrichCrichCrich is a village in Derbyshire in England. It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway Village, and at the summit of Crich Hill above, a Memorial Tower for those of the Sherwood Foresters regiment who died in battle, particularly in World War I.Built in 1923 on the site of an... - The Trolleybus Museum at SandtoftThe Trolleybus Museum at SandtoftThe Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft is a transport museum which specialises in the preservation of trolleybuses. It is located by the village of Sandtoft, near Belton on the Isle of Axholme in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Description:...
- in North LincolnshireNorth LincolnshireNorth Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
Other transport and industrial museums in London:
- Brunel Museum
- Kew Bridge Steam MuseumKew Bridge Steam MuseumKew Bridge Steam Museum houses a museum of water supply and a collection of water pumping steam engines. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage...
- London Canal MuseumLondon Canal MuseumLondon Canal Museum in the King's Cross area of London, England, is a regional museum that displays information about the history of London's canals.- History :...
- London Motorcycle MuseumLondon Motorcycle MuseumThe London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
- Science Museum (London)Science Museum (London)The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
- Walthamstow Pump House MuseumWalthamstow Pump House MuseumThe Pump House Steam and Transport Museum is a museum in Walthamstow focusing on the pioneering achievements in road, rail, air and sea transport in the River Lea valley from the early 19th century...
Other major transport museums in the UK:
- Black Country Living MuseumBlack Country Living MuseumThe Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings, located in Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The museum occupies a urban heritage park in the shadow of Dudley Castle in the centre of the Black Country conurbation...
- Glasgow Museum of TransportGlasgow Museum of TransportThe Glasgow Museum of Transport in Glasgow, Scotland was established in 1964 and initially located at a former tram depot in Pollokshields. From 1987 the museum was relocated to the city's Kelvin Hall...
- Museum of Transport in ManchesterMuseum of Transport in ManchesterThe Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester is a museum that aims to preserve and promote the public transport heritage of Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. Owned by Transport for Greater Manchester, the museum is located in the Cheetham Hill area of...
- Ulster Folk and Transport MuseumUlster Folk and Transport MuseumThe Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about east of the city of Belfast. It comprises two separate museums, the Folk Museum and the Transport Museum...
External links
- Official website of the London Transport Museum
- Resource showing the entire collections on display at the Covent Garden site
- Explore over 5,000 posters and 700 original poster artworks from the Museums collections
- Explore the online photographic collection of over 16,000 photographs
- Tram Travels/Sporvognsrejser: Londons Transport Museum