If one wanted to go further back neither the Metropolitan nor the
District Railways wanted [the Circle] in the first place.

The fact that the Metropolitan created the District Railway shows that
they did want it "in the first place".

The Met didn't create the District, it was a seperate company...

Which was deliberately given the very similar name of the Metropolitan
District Railway, to indicate the intention that the two would work
in cooperation and in due course be merged. The only reason it was
made a separate company is that they thought it would be easier to
attract capital that way.

and the two spent more time arguiing and at odds with each other
than anything else...

Sure, that's how it worked out. I'm talking about *before* that.
"In the first place."
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "Those who cannot Google the past are destined
to repost it." -- Huey Callison

My text in this article is in the public domain.