London underground / Amanda Vincent-Rous

The Underground, like all train-lines, has to be reliable and fast; if it isn’t, then people are late for work, the companies fail to make profit and the economy suffers. While Britain is far from having the most reliable and on-time underground system, it is still very impressive – just don’t expect to be comfortable in the tubes.

As a result, the London Underground has changed quite a lot over the years. As the world’s first underground railway, 1863 was an important year for London’s transport vision. While the official title of ‘London Underground’ would only come into play in 1985, the underground rail network in London has been in full flow for well over a century, transporting passengers on a daily basis.

Now carrying three million passengers every day, the London Underground is a business in itself, but it hasn’t always been like that. Back in 1863, the first line was laid and stretched just under four miles between Paddington and Farrington Street. It wasn’t much, but it was a start of something that would turn into a massive line of railway across the capital.

1880 saw the opening of the first Tube tunnel, from the Tower of London to Bermondsey, which represented another milestone and leap for the evolution of the railway network underground. As the world entered the 20th century, electric lines were introduced to the District and Circle route, cementing the future of the concept.

London transport museum / Julian Tysoe

Changes and additions to lines and new stations were made as the decades rolled by until the exciting introduction of dot-matrix train destination indicators in 1983. This was perhaps a big sign of the more modern-approach to the London Underground as we pushed towards the end of the 20th century.

Tragically, the late ‘80’s saw a fatal fire at King’s Cross killing 31 people which not only shook the nation but called for new safety and fire regulations to be introduced. As we welcomed in the 21st century, 2002 saw the Oyster card for the first time in the London Underground – something that is still used to this day.

It may not be comfortable in the tubes for the passengers – especially at peak times – but the Underground remains a massive part of people’s everyday lives for commuting and pleasure. Who knows where the London Underground is going in the next 100 years (my money is on maglev technology), but one thing is for certain: it will definitely still be there!

This gaze at the glorious London undergound was contributed to us by chessingtonholidays.co.uk – hoping you’ll pay a visit next time you’re in London!

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Dave Smith

You have to pay to get in to the theme park itself, which currently costs £30 for children, £40 for adults (and a child over 12 is considered an adult so expect to pay full price for older kids) or £120 for a family of four for a day, so it isn’t cheap, but once inside your ticket covers all of the rides and so the only extras will be souvenirs and food and drink.

Thorpe Park is famous for some of its rides, including the new rollercoaster and live action maze based on the Saw movie series. Not all of these rides are suitable for young children and some are particularly scary, so it is a great choice for thrill seekers and teenagers but not so good for the feint hearted.

Thorpe Park has several rides, including the Logger’s Leap log flume, where you will get very wet, so unless it is a very hot day it is a good idea to buy one of the waterproof ponchos they sell at the park to try and keep your clothes dry.

Thorpe Park also has plenty of restaurants and bars where you can unwind during your visit. For further information visit their official website.

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