London had the first underground system in the world.
London during victorian times was a real slum.
There was far too many people living in poverty and squalor , and as London was a vastly growing community there was also a lack of housing for people to live in.
In October, 1793 Charles Pearson was born, in the City of London. His father was an upholsterer and feather merchant.
I suppose you would have described Charles Pearson as controversial, radical and perhaps way ahead of his time.
Charles Pearson became a City of London solicitor and was later elected in the 1847 election as a Liberal MP for Lambert.
Although from a middle class background he fought a number of radical campaigns - such as overturning of the ban on Jews becoming brokers in the City of London.
He also ran campaigns for a railway line to be built through London, to ease the congestion, which shows us that the streets of London have always had its fair share of problems with traffic congestion.
He saw the potential of connecting the City of London to the suburbs by railway to ease the demanding problem of housing - London at that time was becoming a hygiene problem. Too many people in too little a space.
No doubt his proposals were rejected several times. He had to find a way to convince the committee, who probably didn't think the technology nor the funds for such an ambitious plan were available.
It is said that there is nothing new under the sun, and today we still have congestion issues in London, although in those days it would have been with horse and carts and old fashioned cabs and buses.
In 1860 his persistence paid off and the funds were granted!
He obviously had a lot of influence and used it for the good of the people of London.
It's always good to know a bit of history about our surroundings, and how things came to be the way they are.
Alas, there doesn't seem to be anybody these days with that kind of pioneering spirit.
I wonder how the history books will look in say a hundred years from now.
Who Was Charles Pearson?