London Tramways - About this Website

About This Website

My Father

My Father Mr. A. J. (John) Wills became interested in trams when he was around 7 years old in the mid 1920's when he notice the early trams proceeding along the roads through Greenwich. He tells me he used to be allowed by his parents on a Saturday afternoon after school, to take a short tram ride to the Central Repair Depot (Charlton Works) to see the trams being driven in to be overhauled or repaired and driven out to their allocated depots.

Mr. A. J. Wills
proudly displaying his shed door liberated from E1 car - 1817

Thus started a lifetime of London Tramway interest. He started taking photographs before the second world war but the main focus of his Tramway photography started in the final years of the London Tramway system. It is these photographs that are the starting core of this website. He also has an extensive collection of photographic prints taken both before WW1 and in the intervening years before WW2, these will be also added to the collection in due course.

In his later years he has concentrated his collection mainly on cars built for the LCC, LPTB and London Transport although there are still many photographs from the Company and Corporation owned systems that formed the London Transport Tramways.He is also a collector of tram ephemera - mainly tickets - he claims to have kept every single 1/- all day tickets he ever used (and also all the tickets he purchased for me!) and has a comprehensive collection of tram tickets.

He kept very good written records of the cars he observed and travelled on. Through his various tramway contacts he has amassed a great deal of information about most of the trams operated by London Transport even going back to LCC days.
(As this website progresses this information will be presented here.) His information and some of his photographs have been used in most of the post 1952 tramway abandonment books about London Tramways.

Five random Pictures

Brixton

Catford

Forest Hill

Croydon

Penhall Road

If you can help with any additional information on any of the photographs or information presented on this site please do not hesitate to contact us.