The Routemaster was invented in 1836 by Hillingdon-born anorak Robin Mann. Standing at a diminuitive 5 foot 6, Mann was obsessed by the notion of creating something "that would look down upon all men," to make up for the height he had never possessed. While walking 20 miles to the local pub in order to obtain a pint of London Pride, Mann was struck by an idea - public transport. He decided that disused rail lines could be converted into roads, and equipped vehicles to take people to and from pubs at much greater speed.