LONDON RAILWAY ARCADE. Central/Piccadilly Line precursor. HAWKSHAW 1855 map

Product SKU: P-6-012095

Price £85.00

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'Proposed London Railway Arcade. Plan referred to by Mr Hawkshaw and Mr Parrott in their evidence of 7th and 8th June 1855' by Mr Hawkshaw and Mr Parrott. Sir John Hawkshaw. Hawkshaw was an English civil engineer. In London he was responsible for the Charing Cross and Cannon Street railways, together with the two bridges which carried them over the Thames; he was engineer of the East London railway, which passes under the Thames through Sir Marc & Isambard Kingdom Brunel's well-known tunnel; and jointly with Sir J Wolfe-Barry he constructed the section of the Underground railway which completed the inner circle between the Aldgate and Mansion House stations. (23 July 1855). Antique map, prepared for consideration by the British Parliamentary Select Committee on Metropolitan Communication, 31.0 x 62.0cm, 12.25 x 24.25 inches; Please note that this is a folding map.

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TITLE/CONTENT OF MAP: 'Proposed London Railway Arcade. Plan referred to by Mr Hawkshaw and Mr Parrott in their evidence of 7th and 8th June 1855'

In 1855, Sir John Hawkshaw proposed what could have been the world's first Underground railway (although the construction of the Metropolitan line, which opened in 1863, had already received Royal assent at the date of publication of this map), which he called the "Railway Arcade", by virtue of its covered, sub-surface nature. Two separate branches were proposed (running along Oxford Street and Piccadilly respectively) which converged at Covent Garden to form a single underground line running to St Paul's. The technology did not exist at that time to tunnel underneath existing buildings leaving them untouched (the Metropolitan line was built by the "cut and cover" method). The line east of Covent Garden would therefore have involved constructing a new street, with the railway running underneath it. These routes form a strong resemblance to the central parts of today's Central and Piccadilly lines, opened in 1900 and 1906 respectively.

DATE PRINTED: 23 July 1855

IMAGE SIZE: Approx 31.0 x 62.0cm, 12.25 x 24.25 inches (Large); Please note that this is a folding map.

TYPE: Antique map, prepared for consideration by the British Parliamentary Select Committee on Metropolitan Communication

CONDITION: Good; suitable for framing. Repaired splits along folds. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not obtrusive unless otherwise stated. We offer a no questions asked return policy.

AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic historic map, published at the date stated above. It is not a modern copy.

VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain

FOLDING: This is a folding map.

ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Mr Hawkshaw and Mr Parrott. Sir John Hawkshaw. Hawkshaw was an English civil engineer. In London he was responsible for the Charing Cross and Cannon Street railways, together with the two bridges which carried them over the Thames; he was engineer of the East London railway, which passes under the Thames through Sir Marc & Isambard Kingdom Brunel's well-known tunnel; and jointly with Sir J Wolfe-Barry he constructed the section of the Underground railway which completed the inner circle between the Aldgate and Mansion House stations.

PROVENANCE: "Report from the Select Committee on Metropolitan Communications; together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence and appendix", order by The House of Commons, to be printed, 23 July 1855, Henry Hansard [Metropolitan Communications Hansard Report]

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