The London United Electric Tramways had style. The system refelcted the panache and flamboyance of Sir James Clifton Robinson (1848-1920), its General manager and guiding light. Int he first decade ofthe twentieth century “Robinson’s Empire”, as it was known colloquially, brought the benefits of cheap, reliable transport to Londoners. The whole enterprise was conceived on a grand scale, whcih caught the imagination of the travelling public.