London United Tramways
Encyclopedia
London United Tramways Company Limited was an operator of trams and trolleybuses in the western and southern suburbs of London, UK, from 1894 to 1933, when it passed to the London Passenger Transport Board
.
under the leadership of George White
and Clifton Robinson
to take over the assets of the West Metropolitan Tramways Company, which had gone into receivership and had operated a horse-drawn tram service from Shepherd's Bush
to Acton
and Chiswick
, and from Hammersmith
to the north side of Kew Bridge
via Chiswick. A short route ran from the south side of Kew Bridge to Richmond.
LUT made repeated attempts to cross Kew Bridge after it was rebuilt in 1903 but these continued to be resisted by the Richmond Corporation Tramways Committee. Kew Road residents opposed two attempts in 1897 & 1898 to install a second track - which would have necessitated road widening - and any subsequent electrification using unsightly overhead wires seemed out of the question, locals favouring the underground conduit
system. Kew Observatory
had concerns about the introduction of electric trams.
So whilst the rest of London went electric, this little branch continued to use horse-drawn cars until well into the twentieth century - the interiors had red velvet seat cushions and were described as "comfortable, if not luxurious", and ran every quarter hour (the full "end to end" journey costing 2d) - until 20 April 1912 after which it was replaced by part of a London General (LGOC) motor-bus route.
Richmond's tram-shed still exists as the former Shaftesbury Centre in Kew Road just north of the A316
.
The LUT system was connected to the London County Council
tram network at Hammersmith in 1908, Tooting
in 1922 and Wandsworth
in 1931; and to the Metropolitan Electric Tramways
(MET) at Acton in 1909.
. LSTC also owned the other two tramway companies in the London area, Metropolitan Electric Tramways and South Metropolitan Electric Tramways.
In 1930 the London United Tramways Act was passed. This gave it powers to replace trams with trolleybuses. London's first trolleybus service started on LUT's Twickenham to Teddington section on 16 May 1931.
On takeover by the LPTB on 1 July 1933, London United had approximately 29 miles of tram track, 18 of trolleybus route.
The History of British Bus Services, Second Edition, John Hibbs, Newton Abbot, 1979
The London United Tramways - Origins to 1912, Volume One, C.S. Smeeton, LRTA & TLRS, 1994
A Scientific Workshop Threatened by Applied Science: Kew Observatory to Be Removed Owing To The Disturbance Caused by Electric Traction, The Illustrated London News, 8 August 1903
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...
.
Origins
The company was formed in 1894 by the Imperial Tramways CompanyImperial Tramways Company
The Imperial Tramways Company Ltd was created to bring under common management a number of street tramways. Originally based in London, its headquarters moved to Bristol in 1892 and from then on it shared its senior management with Bristol Tramways under the chairmanship of George...
under the leadership of George White
George White (businessman)
Sir George White, 1st Baronet was an English businessman and stockbroker based in Bristol. He was instrumental in the construction of the Bristol tramways and became a pioneer in the construction of electric tramways in England. In 1910 he formed, with his brother Samuel, the Bristol Aeroplane...
and Clifton Robinson
Clifton Robinson
Sir Clifton Robinson was known as the "Tramway King", having involvement in the building and operating of street tramways in New York, London, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork, Bristol, Edinburgh and Los Angeles...
to take over the assets of the West Metropolitan Tramways Company, which had gone into receivership and had operated a horse-drawn tram service from Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
to 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...
and Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, and from Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
to the north side of Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge is a bridge in London over the River Thames. The present bridge was designed by John Wolfe-Barry and opened in 1903 by King Edward VII. The bridge was givenGrade II listed structure protection in 1983.- Location :...
via Chiswick. A short route ran from the south side of Kew Bridge to Richmond.
Electrification
LUT relaid the existing track, which was in a poor state of repair, and extended and electrified the system. Electric trams first ran on three routes on 4 April 1901 between Hammersmith and Kew Bridge, between Shepherd's Bush and Kew Bridge (via Chiswick), and between Shepherd's Bush and Acton, London's first electric tram service.Richmond Branch
Trams never ran across Kew Bridge - the second (stone) bridge, built in the 1780s, was far too narrow, and very steep on the approach from Brentford - which meant that there was an isolated length of single track of 1.53 miles, with passing loops, from the south side of the bridge, across Kew Green, then south along the Kew Road to the Orange Tree public house 51.464228°N 0.301534°W in Richmond.LUT made repeated attempts to cross Kew Bridge after it was rebuilt in 1903 but these continued to be resisted by the Richmond Corporation Tramways Committee. Kew Road residents opposed two attempts in 1897 & 1898 to install a second track - which would have necessitated road widening - and any subsequent electrification using unsightly overhead wires seemed out of the question, locals favouring the underground conduit
Conduit current collection
Conduit current collection is a system of electric current collection used by electric trams, where the power supply is carried in a channel under the roadway, rather than located overhead.-Description:...
system. Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory was an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatoryfounded by King George III , located within the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, now within Greater London. The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north...
had concerns about the introduction of electric trams.
So whilst the rest of London went electric, this little branch continued to use horse-drawn cars until well into the twentieth century - the interiors had red velvet seat cushions and were described as "comfortable, if not luxurious", and ran every quarter hour (the full "end to end" journey costing 2d) - until 20 April 1912 after which it was replaced by part of a London General (LGOC) motor-bus route.
Richmond's tram-shed still exists as the former Shaftesbury Centre in Kew Road just north of the A316
A316 road
The A316, also known in parts as the Great Chertsey Road, is a major road in England, which runs from the A315 at Chiswick to the M3 motorway....
.
Extensions to the system
- 1901: Chiswick to BrentfordBrentfordBrentford 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:...
and HounslowHounslowHounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
, Acton to EalingEalingEaling is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, SouthallSouthallSouthall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
and UxbridgeUxbridgeUxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres... - 1902: Hounslow to Hounslow HeathHounslow HeathHounslow Heath is a public open space and local nature reserve to the west of Hounslow, a London borough. It now covers about , the residue of the historic Hounslow Heath that covered over .-History:...
, Brentford to Richmond and TwickenhamTwickenhamTwickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
. - 1903: Twickenham to HamptonHampton, LondonHampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
, Hampton Court Richmond BridgeRichmond Bridge, LondonRichmond Bridge is an 18th-century stone arch bridge in south west London, England, which was designed by James Paine and Kenton Couse, and which crosses the River Thames at Richmond, connecting the two halves of the present-day London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.The bridge, which is a Grade...
and TeddingtonTeddingtonTeddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
. - 1906: Richmond Bridge to Ham Common, Long DittonLong DittonLong Ditton is a village in Surrey, England lying on the boundary with Greater London. Neighbouring settlements include Thames Ditton, Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.-History:...
, MaldenMaldenMalden is the name of places:In England:*New Malden, Kingston upon Thames*Old Malden, Kingston upon Thames*Malden Rushett, Kingston upon ThamesIn the United States of America:*Malden, Illinois*Malden, Massachusetts*Malden, Missouri...
, Richmond ParkRichmond ParkRichmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...
Gates, SurbitonSurbitonSurbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
and TolworthTolworthTolworth is a mostly residential area of outer South London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, located south west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include: New Malden, Kingston, Surbiton, Berrylands, Chessington, Ewell and Worcester Park....
. - 1907: Malden to Raynes ParkRaynes ParkRaynes Park is a suburb within the London Borough of Merton south-west London, centred around Raynes Park station and situated between Wimbledon and New Malden. It is 8.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross. The area is effectively divided into two by the Waterloo - Southampton mainline railway...
and WimbledonWimbledon, LondonWimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
.
The LUT system was connected to the London County Council
London County Council Tramways
The London County Council Tramways was an extensive network of public street tramways that was operated by the council throughout the County of London, UK, from 1899 to 1933, when they were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board....
tram network at Hammersmith in 1908, Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
in 1922 and Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
in 1931; and to the Metropolitan Electric Tramways
Metropolitan Electric Tramways
The Metropolitan Electric Tramways Company Limited operated electric tram services in suburban areas of Middlesex and Hertfordshire from 1904 to 1933, when its services passed to the London Passenger Transport Board....
(MET) at Acton in 1909.
The LUT Company
The company's headquarters, depot and power station were in Chiswick. On 1 January 1913, LUT became a subsidiary of the London and Suburban Traction Company (LSTC), jointly owned by the Underground Group and British Electric TractionBritish Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
. LSTC also owned the other two tramway companies in the London area, Metropolitan Electric Tramways and South Metropolitan Electric Tramways.
In 1930 the London United Tramways Act was passed. This gave it powers to replace trams with trolleybuses. London's first trolleybus service started on LUT's Twickenham to Teddington section on 16 May 1931.
On takeover by the LPTB on 1 July 1933, London United had approximately 29 miles of tram track, 18 of trolleybus route.
See also
- Fulwell Tram Depot
- Fulwell Tram Depot - now Transdev's Fulwell Bus Garage (FW)
- Chiswick Tram Depot - now Stamford Brook Bus Garage (V)
Sources
London's Trams and Trolleybuses, John R. Day, published by London Transport in 1979The History of British Bus Services, Second Edition, John Hibbs, Newton Abbot, 1979
The London United Tramways - Origins to 1912, Volume One, C.S. Smeeton, LRTA & TLRS, 1994
A Scientific Workshop Threatened by Applied Science: Kew Observatory to Be Removed Owing To The Disturbance Caused by Electric Traction, The Illustrated London News, 8 August 1903