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Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London

The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south.

The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south. In 1869 a 1,340-foot-long (410 m) circular tunnel was dug through the London clay using a cast iron circular shield independently invented and built by James Henry Greathead, similar to an idea that had been patented in 1864 by Peter W. Barlow but never built.

A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway was laid in the tunnel and from August 1870, a cable-hauled wooden carriage conveyed passengers from one end to the other. This was not a financial success, however, and the company went bankrupt by the end of the year.

Historical Significance

The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south.

Events Before

  1. US postage stamps featuring scenes are issued for the first time, depicting a post horse and rider, a locomotive, a shie

    US postage stamps featuring scenes are issued for the first time, depicting a post horse and rider, a locomotive, a shield, an eagle, and a ship, the Adriatic

  2. Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society

    Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society

  3. Cincinnati Red Stockings become baseball's first professional team with ten salaried players

    The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players.

  4. US Abolitionist Harriet Tubman marries civil war veteran Nelson Davis in Auburn NY

    Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was an American abolitionist and political activist. Tubman escaped slavery and rescued approximately 70 enslaved people, including members of her family and friends.

  5. Hudson's Bay Company cedes its territory to Canada

    The Hudson's Bay Company (abbreviated HBC and colloquially Hudson's Bay) is a Canadian holding company of department stores and commercial property.

Events After

  1. Belgium disbands its salt tax

    Belgium disbands its salt tax

  2. Second German Empire is proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck

    Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and…

  3. US President William McKinley (27) weds Ida Saxton (23) at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton

    US President William McKinley (27) weds Ida Saxton (23) at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton

  4. The Rugby Football Union is formed at a meeting of 21 clubs at the Pall Mall Restaurant, London, England

    The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England.

  5. Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous expedition to Africa

    Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous expedition to Africa

More from the 1870s

Belgium disbands its salt tax

Belgium disbands its salt tax

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time

Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar

Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…

New York City annexes the West Bronx

The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 2, 1870?
The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south. In 1869 a 1,340-foot-long (410 m) circular tunnel was dug through the London clay using a cast iron circular shield independently invented and built by James Henry Greathead, similar to an idea that had been patented in 1864 by Peter W. Barlow but never built.
Why is Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London significant?
The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south.

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August 2 in HistoryYear 1870