WC1 Bloomsbury, Holborn, Kings Cross, St Pancras

This 1929 poster advertises tramway services to the British Museum in Bloomsbury. With its chariot driven by four horses and its reference to the British Museum, the poster shows how transport companies adopted tourist attractions to encourage people to use public transport in London.

Trams go electric

Trams had operated in London since the mid-19th century. In 1901, they switched from being drawn by horses to electricity. To begin with, only the tram routes out to the suburbs converted to electricity. However, the London United Tramways (LUT) rapidly created electrified tram routes throughout the city. By 1930, electric trams had spread to the West End.

Rise and fall

For many years travelling by tram was very popular. But as people began to use buses and the underground more and more, trams within central London ceased to be economic. They were abandoned by the early 1950s.