The first British tram service

Posted in Anniversary, History, Travel on Friday, 20 August 2010

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picture, An early horse-drawn tram from 1861

An early horse-drawn tram from 1861. Illustration by John Keay

30 August marks the anniversary of the opening of the first British tram service in Birkenhead in 1860. The first trams were drawn by horses and the tramway system grew rapidly in the late 19th century. Eventually it was possible to travel quite widely throughout the United Kingdom just using connecting tramways.

The tramway system fell out of favour, partly due to pressure from those lobbying for the wider use of cars. More and more tramways were dismantled in the 1920s and most had disappeared by the mid-1930s. The only survivor was the Blackpool tramway which still runs.

More pictures relating to trams and tramways can be found here. A wide variety of illustrations relating to transport throughout history can be found at the Look and Learn picture library.

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