Did you know that…
Only a few Londoners use the official name ‘London Victoria’ with regard to the National Rail station, this name is more frequently used by those outside London.
During digging the Victoria line tunnel for the tube network, six fossil nautiluses were found, their age is about 50 million years.
The opening of Victoria station in 1969 was also a significant and outstanding event. Queen Elizabeth II attended the official opening ceremony, where she unveiled a commemorative plaque on the station concourse, after which she bought a ticket and took a subway to Green Park.
Opposite this one of the busiest railway terminus in London, there is the Victoria Palace Theatre. This West End theatre has been in its present site since 1832 when a hotel with a small concert room was built. By 1850, it was redeveloped and known as Moy’s Music Hall. After John Moy, the proprietor, sold it to Alfred Brown in 1863, the building was refurbished and renamed to the Royal Standard Music Hall.
The building of the said music hall was demolished several times in relation with Victoria station building and further modernization of the SW1 area. The current theatre was designed by a skilled architect Frank Matcham, built at a cost of £12,000 and opened in 1911. These days, Victoria Palace hosts musicals most of the year. Barnum was the longest showing musical.