The idea of an underground public rapid transit system for Londoners was proposed in the 1830s, and the permission to build this system was granted in 1854. A test tunnel was built in 1855 in Kibblesworth, and it was used for two years. The first underground railway was opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. It was hailed as a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on an opening day.

The deepest Underground station is Hampstead; the station was opened in 1907. It is located about 192 feet below the street level. These stunning photographs give a glimpse of the astonishing journey of an Underground London starting from the construction of underground railway lines in the 1860s.