Baker Street: The World’s First Underground Metropolitan Railway Station

Baker Street is one of the underground stations located at Baker Street where it intersects with the Marylebone Road in the London’s Westminster. The station is one of the earliest on the Metropolitan Railway (MR), the world’s first underground railway, which began operations on 10 January 1863.

When the first Metropolitan line began operation on 10 January 1863, Baker Street began the carriage of passengers out from under the streets of Victorian London. Reducing travel time of a 90 minute trip to 20 minutes the ‘Met’ changed the way people travelled in the city and inspired the creation of Metro systems internationally.

Baker Street: Underground Metropolitan Railway Station History

This guided tour takes over 160 years of the history of the London Underground, moving from the Victorian era of underground steam travel to the modern station with 10 platforms. You will be shown areas of the station that are not usually accessible to the public, sometimes only a few meters away from other passengers.

The overall socio spatial configurations are the underground railway stations and the terminus. The first photograph was taken in 1863 by the Metropolitan Railway (MR) to the design of (Sir) John Fowler, Engineer in Chief of the MR, of which the pair of platforms and vault still remain. Two was added to the north for the MR ‘Extension’ in 1868 and the latter was subsequently increased to four. Station severely reconstructed in 1911-13 by Charles W Clark, chief architectural assistant to the engineer of the MR, W Willox. Refurbished 1985. The structure known as Chiltern Court, situated above Baker Street Station, is not listed.

Region:	London
Red Wheel Site:	Yes
Transport Mode(s):	Rail
Address:	Marylebone Road, London
Postcode:	NW1 5RZ

What to expect on this tour

Uncover Time Capsules
Open sections of the station that are normally out of bounds to the public: take a look at the Victorian waiting rooms and passenger walkways that have not been opened to the public for more than 75 years, but with tiles… fragments of posters still remain.

Step Behind the Scenes

Find the part of the station staff call ‘the Cathedral’, get a sneaky glimpse of the Bakerloo and Metropolitan line platforms and trains, and have a look at where Lost Property Office used to be.

Return To The Early Days of the Underground

Learn more about how prospect of rail travel below the streets was conceived in the 19th century and why Baker Street had to be the hub of such rail network. Listen to first hand accounts from people from Victorian times who have either traveled on the first underground or are the general public on the underground, plus newspaper coverage of the event.

Station facilities

• Toilets
• Bridge
• Cash Machines
• Gates
• Escalators
• Euro Cash Machines
• Payphones
• WiFi
• Ticket Halls

Address

Baker Street Station Marylebone Rd
London
NW1

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