Metro-land

Metro-Land: Modern Homes in Beautiful Countryside

Imagine escaping the choking smog, dense crowds, and relentless noise of 1920s London. Now imagine wrapping up your workday in the heart of the city, stepping onto a steam train, and being whisked away to a brand-new, semi-detached villa nestled in the rolling green hills of Buckinghamshire or Middlesex.

This wasn’t just a daydream for thousands of middle-class Londoners, it was one of the most successful, romanticised, and brilliantly executed marketing campaigns in British history. Welcome to Metro-land.

The Birth of a Suburbia

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Metropolitan Railway was expanding northwest out of central London. But unlike other railway companies, the Metropolitan Railway possessed a unique legal privilege: it was allowed to retain surplus land alongside its tracks.

When the railway extended deep into the countryside of Middlesex, Hertfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, the company realised they had a golden opportunity. They didn't just want to transport people who already lived there; they wanted to build the communities that would populate their trains.

Watford Metropolitan Underground station

Watford tube station.

Before we get started... I know that Watford is not in London. But, neither is Warner Bros Studios Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. Nor are Gatwick, Southend, Stansted or Luton Airports, but they all have London in their name. There are countless more examples of this.

However, Watford is served by National Rail, the Lioness line and the Metropolitan line. It is also the station from where the majority of my trips to London begin.

So let's delve into its history.

Two different types of train at Platform 2.

By the early part of the 20th century, the Metropolitan line had already extended from London, through Hertfordshire, to Buckinghamshire, terminating at Verney Junction, Buckinghamshire.

In 1912 Parliamentary approval was granted for a branch line, between Sandy Lodge and Rickmansworth, that would serve Croxley and terminate at Watford.

However, clashes with Watford Borough Council and the outbreak of World War I delayed construction of the 2.5 mile branch line, with work finally beginning in 1922. As work progressed Sandy Lodge was renamed Moor Park and Sandy Lodge.

On November 2, 1925, Watford Metropolitan Railway station opened, and, in the first few months, was served by Metropolitan electric trains, to Baker Street, and LNER steam trains to Marylebone.

As the station was situated 1 mile from Watford Town Centre, the Metropolitan Railway operated a bus service from Watford High Street, in an effort to bring in more customers. This bus service ran for many years.

Celebrating 'Steam on the Met'.

The original 1912 plans, for the branch line, were to have continued the line through Cassiobury Park with a terminus on Hempstead Road, where West Herts College now stands. But, Watford Borough Council, having just bought part of the Cassiobury Estate, objected to trains running through the park and gardens.

Temple Bar Gate

The only surviving gateway to the City of London.

It was a particularly cold Saturday morning, with a persistent drizzle, as I wandered around the City of London.

The streets were emptier than normal, even for a weekend, as I made my way down past Barbican to Postman's Park and onward towards St. Paul's Cathedral. 

As I entered Paternoster Square, which was deserted, I found this stone gateway. The rain and diffused light seemed against me getting a decent photograph, but I persevered and ended up with the image above.

 It is a remarkable gateway with an intriguing past. I will endeavour to visit the area, again, in the hopes of getting some better shots.