Old London Underground Map

Historical Background Harry Beck’s 1933 Underground diagram replaced the crowded geography of earlier maps with a clear visual explanation of how the network fitted together. For passengers travelling mainly below ground, the sequence of stations and the places where they could change trains mattered more than the precise distance or direction between them. Map Details • Original subject: London Underground passenger diagram • Designer: Harry Beck, formally Henry Charles Beck • First issued: London, 1933 • Issued for: London Underground • Original format: Folding pocket map • Design: Diagrammatic rather than geographically scaled • Route geometry: Horizontal, vertical and 45-degree lines • Station symbols: Ticks for ordinary stations and diamonds for interchanges • Notable feature: A simplified representation of the River Thames Earlier Underground maps were tied more closely to the geography of London’s streets. As the railway network expanded, however, the central area became increasingly crowded on the page while the outer sections were difficult to accommodate. Beck approached the problem as a technical draughtsman. He simplified the routes into straight and angled sections, spaced the stations more evenly and emphasised the points where passengers could change lines. The result was closer to an electrical circuit diagram than a conventional street map. Although the Underground’s management was initially cautious about the unconventional design, a trial was successful and the pocket map was issued publicly in 1933. Passengers quickly recognised its practical value, and Beck continued to refine the diagram in subsequent editions. The principles established by this map influenced transport diagrams around the world. Its clear lines, strong colours and easily recognised symbols also helped establish information design as an important element of modern public transport. This historic London Tube map therefore represents more than an earlier version of today’s network. It records the moment when a complicated railway system was transformed into one of the most familiar and influential graphic designs of the twentieth century.