The London Transport Museum has launched a new behind-the-scenes tour of Baker Street, one of the first underground railway stations in the world.
When it opened in 1863, the Metropolitan Railway (later integrated into London Underground as the Metropolitan line) helped to ease the congestion causing chaos on London's streets. The new tour forms part of celebrations to mark the 160th anniversary of the Tube.
Baker Street is one of the seven original stations to open to the public along the line, along with Paddington (Bishop's Road), Edgware Road, Portland Road, Gower Street, King's Cross and Farringdon Street.
Now, the station is an interchange between five London Underground lines, which stop at its ten platforms, the most on London Underground. But there are areas of the station not usually accessible to passengers which contain what the Museum describes as “reminders of the forward-thinkers who built the world's first underground railway”.
The Hidden London tour will see expert guides unlock doors to the station's past – both literally and metaphorically. People who sign up for the tour will hear what the first Victorian passengers thought of underground travel and how the Underground expanded over the next sixteen decades. They will be able to explore closed-off parts of the station, including original platforms, disused lift shafts and corridors, some of which have not been accessed by the public since 1945.
They will also learn about Baker Street station's history as the Operational Headquarters for London Underground, including staff facilities such as a canteen and rifle range. For many years, it was also the local station for London Underground's recruitment office and its lost property department. Guests will hear first-hand accounts from people who worked at Baker Street.
Hidden London tours of Baker Street will run between 6 September and 29 December 2023. To find more out more and book a place, click here.
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