Secrets of the London Underground: How US inventor created the Tube's first escalator as a SPIRAL in 1906 but passengers never got to use it - and the Elgin Marbles were protected from the Blitz in now-closed station
- Spiral escalator was invented by Jesse Reno, who had unveiled the world's first 'inclined' escalator in 1896
- Spiral device was installed at Holloway Road station in North London and ran at speed of 100 feet a minute
- It was fitted inside a lift shaft and it would have taken passengers 45 seconds to reach station surface
- However, whilst it did work, it is believed it was deemed too dangerous for passengers to use
- It was dismantled in 1911 and was believed to have been lost until part was found in a lift shaft in 1988
- At Aldwych station, the British Museum's Elgin Marbles were kept safe on a blocked-off platform during WWII
- The station was closed in 1994 due to the amount of money needed to refurbish its ancient Otis lifts
Today, as the bulk of coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England, thousands of Londoners used the Underground network to get to work.
Holloway Road station, in North London, is one stop which will have been thronged with commuters using the escalators this morning.
But their commutes could have been entirely different if a project embarked on more than a century earlier – which saw an experimental spiral escalator built in a lift shaft at the station – had succeeded.
The fascinating device, which was set to open to the public in 1907, was built to a working standard but passengers were never able to use it, due to fears about its safety.
Just five years later, the first escalator of the kind that is ubiquitous today was installed at Earl's Court station. Its success meant that, over time, it replaced lifts on the network.
Now, a new TV documentary, which airs tonight on Yesterday, tells how, after the project failed, London Underground staff believed the escalator had been lost forever – before a part of it was found in a lift shaft in 1988.
The remaining piece is now held at the London Transport Museum's depot in Acton, West London.
The spiral escalator's inventor, Jesse Reno, was nearly bankrupted by the failure of his project. The American had unveiled the world's first 'inclined' escalator – the kind we know today - in 1896.
Today's episode of Secrets of the London Underground, which is presented by Tim Dunn and transport historian Siddy Holloway, also tells the story of how the Elgin Marbles were kept for safe-keeping during the Second World War at the now-closed Aldwych Station.
The stop, on the Strand, was also used as an air raid shelter during the Blitz. After it closed in 1994, it was also used as a film set for several high-profile productions including Sherlock, Mr Selfridge and V for Vendetta.
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Reno's ambitious design at Holloway Road was made up of a double spiral which would have allowed passengers to go up and down at the same time.
It meant that, unlike a lift, there would have been no waiting.
The two spirals were installed around a central core. The outer spiral was for going upwards, whilst the inner one was intended to take passengers down to platforms.
Like a ski lift, it ran continuously at a speed of around 100 feet a minute. The journey from the base of the lift shaft to street level took an estimated 45 seconds. It is believed to have handrails on both sides.
Reno had financed the project himself and so when it failed, he ended up in severe financial difficulty.
The spiral escalator was dismantled in 1911 and was believed to have believed to have been lost until its rusting remains were found at the bottom of the lift shaft in 1988.
It was not until 1993 that the parts were recovered by the London Transport Museum. Experts then restored a large section of it and it is now at the museum's Acton depot.
Parts of it, including the patterned tread intended to provide grip for commuters, is seen up close in tonight's documentary.
Five years after Reno's failed attempt, the Underground's first escalators were installed at Earl's Court station.
However, the public were initially terrified of using the machines and so William 'Bumper' Harris – disabled man who had lost his leg in an accident – was invited to demonstrate the machines' safety by riding them.
Today, there are more than 400 passenger escalators on the London Underground which are used by millions of commuters every year.
Tonight's show also reveals the fascinating history of Aldwych station. The station was opened in 1907 and was initially named Strand – due to its location.
Aldwych was connected to nearby Holborn by London's shortest branch line, which was less than 1,800feet long.
Opened in 1907, the station was never popular with passengers and, when its original Otis lifts needed to be refurbished at a cost of £3-4million in 1994, it was decided to close the stop entirely.
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The lifts, which date from 1906, are now the only surviving ones of their type on the whole London Underground network.
Today, Aldwych's platforms are used to trial new signs and other innovations before they're installed on the wider network.
Posters dating from the Second World War can still be seen on the walls.
In September 1940, the British Museum made use of a platform which had been bricked up at both ends during the First World War so it could be used by the National Gallery to keep items safe.
The Elgin marbles were taken from the museum to the space on wooden carts. They remained there for safe-keeping until 1948.
Photos show men in suits carefully maneuvering the marbles through Aldwych's passageways. The marbles remained at Aldwych until 1948, when they were wheeled out and put back in the British Museum, in Bloomsbury.
The decision to put the marbles below ground was a good one - the British Museum suffered considerable bomb damage, including to the very space - the Duveen Gallery - where the Greek artefacts had been on display.
The treasures, which are officially known as the Parthenon Marbles, were taken from Athens by the Earl of Elgin - the then ambassador to Greece - in 1812.
In 1816, they were installed at the British Museum, where they have remained ever since, despite repeated calls for them to be returned to Greece.
Aldwych also kept Londoners safe during the Blitz – when German planes dropped thousands of bombs on the capital from September 1940 until May 1941.
Whilst stations' use as shelters was initially discouraged, terrified city-dwellers who had been bombed out of their homes insisted on being allowed to use the spaces.
Secrets of the London Underground airs at 8pm tonight on UKTV channel Yesterday.
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