In 1870, London made a daring leap into underground travel with the Tower Subway, the first tube-style railway to pass beneath the River Thames. Though short-lived, the project was a pioneering step in transit history. It began with engineer Peter W. Barlow, who envisioned narrow, circular tunnels carrying passenger cars. He passed the torch to James Henry Greathead, a 24-year-old engineer who not only managed the construction but also developed the revolutionary tunneling shield that made it possible. The tunnel was a mere 7 feet in diameter and took just over 14 weeks to dig, setting a precedent for future tube construction.
When the subway opened on August 2, 1870, it ran a single small passenger car, pulled by cable and powered by steam engines on either end. The ride took about 70 seconds, carrying just a dozen people at a time. Despite the engineering marvel, passengers quickly complained. The cramped interior allowed little headroom—those over five feet tall had to stoop. Travel writers of the time described it as dark, damp, and claustrophobic, with one likening it to a descent into the underworld. Tragically, during its operation, a man named Thomas Francis Jannang was fatally injured when a lift head malfunctioned and crushed him. Historical details about his background and whether his family received any compensation are scarce, but following the incident, the faulty lifts were removed altogether when the railway closed in December 1870.
After its short stint as a railway, the tunnel reopened later that year as a pedestrian passage, complete with spiral staircases and gas lighting. This version became incredibly popular, serving about 20,000 people per week. But by 1894, the newly opened Tower Bridge offered a more appealing, toll-free alternative. The tunnel was eventually sold in 1898 and converted into a conduit for hydraulic power and later for water and telecom cables—a function it still serves today.
It took another 20 years before London would try underground tube travel again. The breakthrough came in 1890 with the opening of the City and South London Railway, the world’s first deep-level electric underground line. That railway, with its larger tunnels and smoother ride, marked the beginning of the modern Underground system we know today. The Tower Subway may have had a rocky ride, but it dug the path—literally and figuratively—for the future of mass transit.
Citations:
Historic UK. (n.d.). Tower Subway – The first tunnel under the Thames. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Tower-Subway/
Londonist. (2020). The Tower Subway: The secret Thames tunnel that's 150 years old. https://londonist.com/london/secret/the-tower-subway-the-secret-thames-tunnel-that-s-150-years-old
Memoirs of a Metro Girl. (2020, August 27). Tunnel vision: The fascinating story of the Tower Subway. https://memoirsofametrogirl.com/2020/08/27/tower-subway-history-victorian-engineering-story/
Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Tower Subway. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Subway
SciHi Blog. (2019, January 23). The Tower Subway. https://scihi.org/tower-subway/
Historiek.net. (2022, March 3). Opening of the Tower Subway in London (1870). https://historiek.net/opening-of-the-tower-subway-in-london-1870/142351/