Earls Court Uncovered: Bohemians, Rock Stars & Royal Secrets

A 1-hour walk through London's most unexpectedly fascinating neighbourhood

London · 13 stops · 3.2 km · ~1.3 h · Generated

  1. 1. Earl's Court Station — London's First Escalator

    Earl's Court tube station, Earl's Court Road, SW5

    Earl's Court Station — London's First Escalator

    Take a look at the station building in front of you... that handsome facade of cream-coloured tiles, or buff faience as the Victorians called it. Earl's Court is a Grade Two listed London Underground station, and it holds a secret that changed the way every city in the world moves people underground.

    This station was first opened by the District Railway back in eighteen seventy-one. By eighteen seventy-four, trains from Earl's Court could travel via five different routes, making it absolutely central to the railway's success... but that same popularity meant the original station was hopelessly congested. Then, a fire in eighteen seventy-five damaged the station, and a more substantial replacement was built to the west of Earl's Court Road.

    But here's where it gets Really interesting. The date is the fourth of October, nineteen eleven. The first two escalators on London's Underground entered service right here, at Earl's Court station. They were both supplied by the Otis Elevator Company, and they were nothing like the smooth metal stairways you know today. This early escalator was a wooden, clattering contraption — a pair of "shunt" type machines where a diagonal barrier literally forced users off to the side at the end of their ride. Can you imagine stepping onto a moving wooden staircase for the very first time in your life?

    They were promoted as "made entirely of fireproof material" — and here's a fun detail — unlike the lifts, you were actually allowed to Smoke on them.

    Now, there's a famous legend attached to this place. The story goes that a one-legged man known as "Bumper" Harris was hired to ride up and down the escalators all day long, proving to nervous Londoners that if HE could manage it, surely anyone could. According to more careful research, Harris was actually the clerk of works for the escalator installation — a tunnelling engineer, not a hired stunt man. He demonstrated the escalators to the press on opening day, but the tale of him riding all day is likely embellished — his own family has stated it's untrue. Still... a small figurine of William Harris stands proudly in London's Transport Museum to this day, legend or not.

    And the public reaction? Far from being scared, some passengers were actually breaking their journey at Earl's Court Just to ride the escalator! But not everyone was thrilled. According to a Board of Trade report, during the first week alone, nine dresses were torn, one finger was pinched, and a lame passenger had fallen from his crutches. After a guard rail was added, no more accidents occurred... and the escalators were deemed a spiffing idea.

    Those two escalators were so successful that between nineteen eleven and nineteen fifteen, twenty-two machines were installed across the London Underground. And here's one more thing worth knowing — the original diagonal shunt at the top pushed passengers off to the Left, which is why walkers were positioned on the left side... and Londoners have stuck with that setup ever since. So next time someone tells you to stand on the right... you can thank This station for starting it all.

  2. 2. Prince of Teck Pub — A Grade II Victorian Watering Hole

    Prince of Teck, 161 Earl's Court Road, SW5 9RQ

  3. 3. Earl's Court Village — London's Secret Conservation Area

    Childs Place, Earl's Court, SW5

  4. 4. Wallgrave Road & Providence Patch — London's Tiniest Garden

    Wallgrave Road, Earl's Court, SW5 9HA

  5. 5. Kenway Road — 'Kangaroo Valley' HQ

    Kenway Road, Earl's Court, SW5

  6. 6. Old Manor Yard — The Heart of Medieval Earls Court

    Old Manor Yard, Earl's Court Road, SW5

  7. 7. The Blue Police Box — London's Loneliest TARDIS

    Earl's Court Road, SW5 9UB

  8. 8. Coleherne Court — Princess Diana's Pre-Royal Flat

    Coleherne Court, Old Brompton Road, SW5 0EF

  9. 9. Finborough Theatre — The 50-Seat Stage That Shakes the West End

    Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, SW10 9ED

  10. 10. The Pembroke (formerly Coleherne) — The Pub Stalked by Infamy

    The Pembroke, 261 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA

  11. 11. The Troubadour — Where Bob Dylan & Jimi Hendrix Played

    The Troubadour, 265 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA

  12. 12. Earls Court Exhibition Centre Site — Where Rock History Was Demolished

    Warwick Road, Earls Court, SW5 9TA

  13. 13. Brompton Cemetery North Gate — One of London's Magnificent Seven

    Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, SW10 9UG