A good practical London story..

... especially for engineers and those who might be.

Over my morning cuppa, while reading the conservative blogs, so as to know what to think, came across Tim Worstall's blog roundup reference to Philobiblion: City of Cities: The Birth of Modern London wherein the second link provides a view on the book of the name.

Ah, but there's the rub!
There's a connection between all the above... and an answer to those who encounter the escalators at High Holborn for the first time and say "What the F!!!!!"
While I was working in the City, it struck me as amusing that new telephone service lines were accomodated by simply prising up the sidewalk pavement blocks and laying additional... I had already known why the tube lines were run so deep... to avoid unknown utilities laid dating back to Roman times, and this was the obverse.
{By the way, it was the Strand end of Fleet Street which was torn up while I was there...}
Worstall adds to the London Hydraulic Power Company mention

Well, it's THAT stuff I live for.... and people wonder why I'm conservative!