The delay in opening Crossrail by up to a year is bad news, but let’s keep it in perspective – the project has been brewing since 1974, which makes next autumn seem a bit less far away. And what’s this about the Victoria Line from the first of the film clips below? When it went into operation in 1968 it had been on the drawing board for (at least) 18 years. And here’s another comparison: it was needed, presenter Macdonald Hastings tells us, because there were “too many people for the system to digest,” with “the Tube bursting at its seams”. And this in the midst of the capital’s long, post-war population decline.
The film is a BBC documentary broadcast in 1969. It’s nearly 40 minutes long, so give yourself a bit of time. It’s slow, but it’s gripping.
The second one is gripping too, but it’s much longer (one hour and 40 mins) and even slower.
I found both films through reading about the Victoria Line at London Reconnections. If you’re looking for something snappier, try the two news reports below. The first is from British Pathé.
The second is from the BBC.
All terribly up-to-date, you know.
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LONDON AND BREXIT DEBATE: Will leaving the EU be good or bad for the capital? On London and the illustrious London Society have jointly organised a debate about this crucial question. Anti-Brexit campaigner Andrew Adonis, former Boris Johnson adviser Daniel Moylan, Lib Dem AM Caroline Pidgeon and Victoria Hewson from the Institute of Economic Affairs form an all-star line-up of speakers. Buy your tickets here.