London by Tube: A History of Underground Station Names

by David Revill

If you’ve ever wanted to know where the Underground’s station names come from, then this is the book for you! London by Tube is an essential read for anyone curious about London and its historic Underground. The book takes the reader on a fascinating journey around the Tube network to reveal the history behind the names of all 268 stations. Packed full of lively stories about the colourful characters and remarkable events connected to the places that bear these names, the book delves deep into London’s rich history to recall tales of terrible fires, profligate playboys, ancient relics, devious criminals, squalid slums, lost rivers, grisly executions and unsolved mysteries. This is a book for anyone who has ever taken a trip on the Tube – the perfect gift for visitors, commuters and Londoners alike. It is a Tube guide to the city’s past. So sit back and enjoy the ride and discover something new about London and its historic Underground.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, London, British Literature, Reference, Transport

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2011

Reviews

[James Calbraith · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ambitious project, but the inconsistency is its downfall. While I can understand that some little-used stations on the outskirts warrant little but a paragraph's mention, surely something interesting has happened around places like Hammersmith and Victoria...?
Also, the selection of anecdotes gets pretty monotonous pretty fast; you'd think the only events of note in London's history were the Blitz, the dissolution of monasteries, and the career of Dick Turpin.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some interesting bits, but a history of every single station on the Underground becomes a little boring and repetitive in pretty short order. Some bad editing of the ebook, too. More of a dipping-into sort of book than something to read straight through, I think.

[BrokenTune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this by accident and it turned out to be a great little find.

Like many others, I have often wondered about the weird and wonderful names of London's tube stations, and even though my imagination never quite stretched far enough to conjure up scenes as impressive as Neil Gaiman's (see Neverwhere) I had my own little stories about some of them.

So, it was such a joy to read that some of the facts and actual history behind the stations and the names are just as weird and wonderful as any work of fiction.

[Calum Beaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't just about how the stations got their names but also gives a history of the underground & how it was built along with some interesting historical facts regarding the stations or areas also what these villages or hamlets were like before the sprawl of London enveloped them. Every thing here from Executions, Templar Knights, Parkland's, Why Putney Bridge was built & the sad fate of the inspiration for Peter Pan.
I read the Kindle edition so I don't know if this is the case for the paperback but the one thing I would have liked was a map of the underground so I refer to it.

[william ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

London by Tube: A History of Tube Stations by Names

3/5 okay read

Note: I am not attacking the author, but expressing ideas about the content. I understand how much effort it is necessary to research and write this book!

This book gives a very very detailed overview of the history that is associated with each of the station in the Tube. Overall here is a brief organization of how the tube stations got its name.
Got pretty good understanding of it. Love the brief history of London pages as context and the pictures in the book. Thanks for being clear on that.

1. Literally by nearby street - Victoria station because it’s nearby Victoria
2. Church & religious elements - Harrow / Westminster & Upminster / Blackfriars / Seven Sisters
3. Name of an Anglo Saxon king or tribe
4. Name of a nearby inn - Swiss Cottage
5. Name of the landowner of the area
6. Name got from the landform of where the station is from
7. Name from the numerous gardens in London either for the monarch or for ordinary ppl to escape the dirty and grimy conditions of London
8. Name of the Roman Walls, roads

Some holes in the book:
The Domesday book of 1066 is never mentioned. It keeps referencing it without letting the audience know what that is.
STOP repeatedly using the word erect. I was about to smash the book when i saw the word erect appear one last time on the last page of the reading. It has a lot of meanings. OKAY USE A THESAURUS.
Some anecdotes are so lengthy that would put me to sleep. Just be relevant. A 10 page thing about Battle of Waterloo was totally not necessarily. I can be mentally prepped for that in another history book.
Name of the railway company who opened the tube station? What about the location or a map to show where the tube station is?
Did not really like organizing it in alphabetical order. Should organize by the lines- Jubilee, Central, etc…

[Hazel Went · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book only barely covered the history of the station names themselves, although did offer some history of the local areas. It wasn't really what I was looking for. Added to that, the book contained a number of irritating grammatical mistakes, and the order in which it described stations was unhelpful. I would have expected the stations to be ordered by area or by line; they were actually ordered alphabetically. This led to a fair amount of duplication of material, since certain facts were covered at each station; had they been ordered by line, I suspect the duplication would have been significantly less. Perhaps the author had a word count to fulfil, but the duplication was unnecessary and a tad annoying.

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a marvellous little book for anybody who's ever been curious about the stations names they've looked over as they've ridden on the Tube. It's fascinating how most names relate to their Anglo-Saxon origins as names of the many villages which make up.the sprawl of London.
There are a lot of interesting facts but the one I was most pleased to learn was why escalator etiquette on the Underground is counter intuitive.
My only suggestion would be for the stations to be arranged along their lines rather than in alphabetical order.

[Mike Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative book, although many of the entries are just of the form:
Opened in xxxx, by the xxxxxx company. The name may be derived from xxxxxx.
Also, there's only so many times that you can read that a station was started in the 1930s but delayed die to the Second World War and not get bored.
Having said that, there's lots of interesting information here. I read it from cover to cover, but it's really a book to dip into from time to time, perhaps whilst on an Underground train, or on a walk.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting

Just about worth the £2 I paid for it. The chief interest is in the snippets of history, which turned up some good stories new to me. Some of the etymology is a bit dubious, and the number of typos is shocking.

[Ron Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but should have been better.

Numerous inaccuracies especially over geography and vague station history spoilt what otherwise was a pleasant if insubstantial read. Not a book for railway or tube enthusiasts.

[Lynn P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hoped for more about the well known stations, I had little interest in the more outlying ones. Fairly dull reading.

[Stephen Tubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched - the background facts to each station name are in the main educational.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A journey through all the Underground stations of London, listed in alphabetical order. Each entry describes the origin of the name, when the station was opened and when it was added to the Tube network. In addition, many of the entries have additional information about notable events or connections of the area - for example, the Great Fire of London for Monument station or Jack the Ripper for Whitechapel.

The structure of the book means that there is significant repetition across many of the entries - for example, in describing the external appearance of the stations. Some entries are disappointingly brief, but most are well-researched and often throw up some unusual and little-known facts about the area they cover.

[Sis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book

This was a pretty entertaining read, mixing the history of the Tube with that of the lands above it, of what transpired there and how these events changed London for good. Although most of the time the data of each station borders on the anecdotical, it's never boring, and sometimes even helped me tie loose ends on my English history. All in all I'd say this ebook is more than worth its price.

Tthis book is not for everyone, I would certainly recommend it to everyone who ever looked at a tube station sign and wondered why it's named like that.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part it was an interesting read. Many of the stories are primarily the same, "...started prior to WW2 when construction was halted and tunnel was used for shelter..." It is a good read if interested in getting snippets of London, and surrounding area, history. David Revill does a good job of sharing the stories and sharing in alphabetical order by station name.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but a bit monotonous after a while. I have to wonder why some stations were included at all when it seems like nothing interesting happened nearby and all that we are given is the date the station opened, by which original railroad company, and the year it became part of the underground. I would have preferred more information on fewer stations. Not bad overall.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book shedding light on the stories not only behind the names of the Underground stations but of the history of each area. There is some repetition but this is to be expected in a book that should really be dipped into whilst exploring.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, providing a good summary of a brief history of London using the underground stations as its basis. Learnt a fair few things about my resident city from this. Handy to have around especially if you want to impress visitors to London!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bit of an underground geek after travelling on it for many years and wanted to understand some of the history. Was also a cheap book for the kindle and pleased I purchased it before the Olympics so I could gain knowledge of the east end.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, good for a bit of a London fan like me. It has made me want to go back to London now though!

[❀ Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Fascinating historical facts mostly on London, some chunks on UK and Europe in general.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting especially if you like history explains how stations and the areas around the stations got there names

[Dominic Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a lot of repetition but still interesting...and not just for trainspotters!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes I'm a geek. I'm not even sorry.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, a really interesting read

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Karen Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information about tube stations and how they got their names, found this fascinating.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for anyone who is fascinated by London. The format meant that some tube stations that are more modern and in quieter areas didn't have much to say for themselves

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best read in small parts

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating snippets of history