Wembley Park Tube in the 1948 Olympics

This is what Wembley Park London Underground station looked like in the summer of 1948 when London last hosted the Olympic Games. It's seems to be a picture of calm even though extra services were provided to handle the "crowds"!


You can just about see the bunting & a few Olympic rings put up to brighten up the station. I suppose it's no surprise the decor wasn't lavish. The UK was still in the grip of postwar austerity and there were strong arguments against spending funds on the event. Due to the war, the Olympics had already been cancelled twice.

So it was not only a miracle that the Games took place but they were actually very successful and attracted valuable visitors to London.


 

Paul Collins has written an interesting book An Olympic Summer : Transport for London in 1948, based around some fascinating historical photographs. It records the British transport scene during that summer of 1948 when the world travelled to England and the immediate post-war road and rail networks were put to the test.

It'll be interesting to see what both Westminster & Wembley Park stations look like in a few weeks time & compare them to our upcoming Olympic Summer.  How will historians report on Transport for London in 2012?  Bear in mind a lot of the photos we are taking today will be in the history books (or rather e-books) of the future.

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