Transport for London and Other Animals
Have you heard of horse-drawn buses? How about sheep on the Strand? Or gorillas at the Lost Property Office? Join us for a brief tour of animals on the network!
Shillibeer Omnibus (1829-01-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Horse-Drawn Buses
We can't talk about animals without mentioning horse-drawn omnibuses - the forerunners of today's London bus system
Horse bus services ran in London from 1829 until the early 1910s. The 1st London horse bus operator was George Shillibeer
Shillibeer's innovative horse omnibus proved very popular, but it soon attracted competition. Within 3 years of Shillibeer's operation opening, over 400 horse bus services operated in the capital.
Knifeboard seating (1891-01-01)TfL Corporate Archives
In 1855 the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was formed
Within a couple of years it owned over 75% of horse buses. It would dominate the horse bus world for over 5 decades. Eventually, the LGOC became part of the London Passenger Transport Board, a predecessor of TfL
London General Omnibus Company Ltd: Horse Book (1876-01-01)TfL Corporate Archives
The LGOC ran a large scale operation
This horse register from 1871 shows a snapshot of the company's size. It records how many horses were owned, their names, and what route they served. By 1891 London had over 25,000 horses pulling omnibuses across the capital
Buses were eventually motorised by the LGOC
The last horse bus ran in 1914, on the day Britain declared war on Germany
But the legacy lives on - as shown in this leaflet for revival horse-drawn bus services in 1979
Travel Down Memory Lane Horse Drawn Bus Service (1979-07-09) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
Dogs on the network
Assistance dogs are necessary for enabling people to use the network. There are several types of assistance dog for different disabilities. This poster from 2020 informs taxi drivers of their responsibility to welcome assistance dogs
Dog Show is Evenly Contested (1961) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
Show Dogs
Meet the 1961 winners of the annual central busmen's dog show
Clubs are a big part of the history of TfL's predecessor companies. Most garages and depots had their own sports teams; there were also canine clubs, a bowling association, and even a flying club
Winners from the annual dog show in 1960 and 1962
This Little Pig Went to Market (1933) by London Passenger Transport BoardTfL Corporate Archives
Hold-Ups
You might not expect it but in some of the historically rural areas of London, bus services could be held up by errant animals - like this large pig holding up a Green Line Coach in Epping!
Sheep on the Strand (1926)TfL Corporate Archives
And it's not just outer areas...
As shown by this 1926 photo of sheep blocking buses on the Strand!
Silver Jubilee Bus Carpet (1977-06-02)TfL Corporate Archives
Speaking of sheep
Other bus travellers seem quite undisturbed by this well-behaved sheep on a bus in 1977. If you look closely you can see that the sheep is modelling the Jubilee carpet introduced that year to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee
Lost and Found
London's transport network has had its fair share of misplaced animals - including this cat and her 2 kittens found on a train at Green Park in 1983. Staff at the Baker Street Lost Property Office fostered them until they could be adopted
Pio Abad, 'Eddie', Night Tube Map Cover, 2017
Commissioned by TfL to create a new cover for the Night Tube map, artist Pio Abad chose to create a portrait of Eddie the gorilla. Eddies origins are unknown; he was left with the Lost Property Office some 8 years ago and has not yet been claimed. art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/eddie
Honourable mention
We'll end our tour with an honourable mention of Wilfred the Rabbit. In 1922, the design of a new mascot was commissioned for the London General Omnibus Company and Wilfred was the result
Letter regarding souvenir Wilfred mascots (1923-05-10)TfL Corporate Archives
Wilfred was produced in a limited run of models
He's shown here as a colour sketch
Sadly the idea was soon dropped and in 1923 Wilfred was quietly shelved
Discover more in our story A Rabbit and a Turtle
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
This story has been enhanced using an image from Art on the Underground (art.tfl.gov.uk).
