Design Porn: Metropolitan Line Shelves

It's been a while since I've seen something so evocative of old-world travelling glamour - witness the latest offering from the London Transport Museum. Well, I say offering but as yet you can only register interest, until March. I am indeed interested in their 'Large' shelf, reconditioned from old Metropolitan line carriages. They're about to be pressed back into domestic service after many years of toting smart hats, suitcases which are tiny by today's standards, and parcels wrapped in brown paper from the West End out to Amersham, Chesham and beyond to the end of the purple line. Coming soon to a hallway, bedroom or kitchen near you!

I always thought those hooks were for coats (yes, I've lived in London long enough to remember these carriages) but as the picture demonstrates, they're for a gentleman's umbrella. How clever!

Before you get too excited, I have to point out the prices. For the largest shelf, pictured, you're looking at £250. Yeah. While I'm sure that it would outlast me and it's certainly a classic, I wonder if this can be justified. Soon to be gracing homes across Britain, or only found in bars and restaurant interiors as chosen by interior designers?  Would you be prepared to pay this much for a little (practical) piece of history?