Comment by inglor_cz

Comment by inglor_cz 3 days ago

5 replies

It is interesting how infrastructure silently reflects society of its time.

In 1906, people travelling with three suitcases would likely have servants carrying them, and no one cared particularly about comfort of servants.

matt-p 3 days ago

I'm not sure they'd of gotten the tube at all, unless perhaps to connect to a mainline station for a trip to the country? I still feel it more likely they'd of been driven, either by horse drawn or maybe even car (at least to the station) even in 1906.

  • pastamania 2 days ago

    Other way round is my understanding. Road based transport was for the poor, especially trams, and the underground was for the fancy folk looking to shortcut past all of that.

  • inglor_cz 3 days ago

    I remember some rather old photos with very well-dressed people waiting for the tube... so probably "it depends". Compared to horse-drawn carriages, the tube was fast and not prone to traffic jams.

    • scoot 2 days ago

      Most people of that era were "very well-dressed" relative to their wealth compared to today's "pyjamas and slippers to go to the local shop" level of couture, so I'm not to sure how much you can read into that.

      • inglor_cz 2 days ago

        relative to their wealth

        But total wealth was a lot lower than today, while clothes were much more expensive relative to the average income than today. Many people wore their best clothes on Sundays only, and street photos from the same period show that an average person was dressed rather simply.

        I don't even think that the tube was affordable to average working class public. When I read historic accounts from much later (the 1930s), they mention that fare on public transport was expensive enough that you had to choose between a breakfast and a ride.