James Henry Greathead

Statue of James Henry Greathead, civil engineer who invented the tunneling shield that made possible the digging of the tube tunnels. London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway system. Greathead’s statue stands at the top of Cornhill, and was put up in 1994.

Greathead was also responsible for the construction of the first stages of the Northern Line (a tube line which has many personal connections for me - almost every station has featured in an episode in my life at one time or another). The stations on the Northern Line's Morden Extension are architecturally distinguished and were designed by Charles Holden. Between Euston and Camden Town is Mornington Crescent characterized by scruffy patches of grass that must never be built on as they mark the sites of plague pits (also there is a game called Mornington Crescent which has acquired a cult following on BBC Radio 4).

For a picture of Greathead’s tunneling shield: http://www.vauxhallsociety.org.uk/NorthernLine.html

More on the game of Mornington Crescent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_(game)