The world’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan, steam-powered and running underneath Euston Road, opened in January 1863. The early history of underground travel in London was beset by the problems of asphyxiation, inadequate lighting, accidents, explosions and crime; countered by the opportunities for improved connectivity, speed and intimacy. This lecture will focus on the 19th and early 20th century history of the Underground, as seen through the lens of UCL’s local station.