Northern Line’s Naming Saga: From ‘Edgemor’ to ‘Capri’ (1926)

In 1926, the impending opening of London’s expanded tube network, formed by the merger of the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR) and the City and South London Railway (C&SLR) with extensions to Edgware and Morden, sparked a fervent public debate over a suitable name. The existing unwieldy combination of names was clearly insufficient, prompting a widespread call for a snappier, more memorable identity, much like the recently coined “Bakerloo” line.

Numerous suggestions poured in, reflecting a mix of practicality, wit, and whimsy. Some proposals aimed for portmanteaus, such as “Edgemor,” “Balhamstead Railway,” “Mordenway line,” or “Edgemorden Line,” attempting to combine key station names. Others focused on the line’s function or geography; “the Test Tube” was suggested as a model for future lines, and “Superloop” was almost coined. More descriptive but generic options included “Cross-River line,” “North-South line,” or the “N.E.S.T. line” (Northern, Eastern, Southern Tube), complete with a clumsy slogan. The “Missing Link” also made an appearance.

Humorous and satirical names also emerged, like “The Dashfield line,” poking fun at Lord Ashfield, the company chairman, or the Sporting Times’s suggestion based on a breakdown delay, which would have quickly dated. The Daily Express’s “Beachcomber” column offered the most imaginative, albeit impractical, ideas, proposing names akin to country houses or holiday destinations like “Como,” “Capri,” or “The Larches.”

Despite the extensive public input, the consolidated line initially opened without a definitive catchy name, commonly referred to as the “Morden-Edgware line.” It wasn’t until 1937 that it was officially christened the “Northern line,” a designation the article notes as somewhat illogical given the line’s significant number of stations south of the Thames. The article concludes by mentioning London Underground’s ambition to separate the Northern line’s branches, playfully suggesting a return to the “Capri and Como lines” if this ever occurs.

(Source: https://londonist.com/london/transport/a-century-ago-what-to-call-the-northern-line)