The District Line is amongst the oldest lines on the London Underground and includes the original section of the network between South Kensington and Westminster which opened in December 1868. First called the Metropolitan District Railway, the plan was to create a below-ground ‘inner circle’ connecting London’s railway termini. The line was developed with branches and extensions over the next 30 years and by 1902 it had extended eastwards as far as Upminster with further changes being made throughout the 20th Century.
In its current form the District line has 60 stations which is more than any other tube line and includes 6 separate branches. The route now covers a vast area reaching from almost the Essex border in the east through historic central London landmarks such as the Tower of London and Big Ben, North as far as Edgware, then through to Wimbledon and Richmond in leafy South-West London. I wanted to create a route that followed the line as closely as possible which means doubling back on yourself at each terminus and retracing your steps to the branch point before continuing. I have kept the route as short as possible which means it must be started at the furthest easterly terminus in Upminster. The line remains unbranched for approximately a marathon until it reaches Earl’s Court at which point the out-and-back sections begin to Edgware road, Kensington Olympia and Wimbledon passing Earl’s Court 3 times before finally leaving it on the 4th passing and heading west. The final branch comes at Turnham Green where the route heads up to Ealing Broadway before returning to the branch and making the final run out to Richmond.
I’ve lived and worked in South-West London for over 20 years so I feel like the District Line has been a big part of my life. I wanted to tackle a tube line and this one is as yet unrecorded so it seemed like a good challenge - and my favourite colour is green!
https://www.londontubemap.org/en-4-District-line-london-tube-map.php
