London Underground
London Underground Railways, 1912
8 x 10 in
20 x 26 cm
20 x 26 cm
LDN6998
Further images
Another new design for the Underground map emerged in 1912, both in guidebooks and for free in stations. This map is credited to the London Geographical Institute of George Philip...
Another new design for the Underground map emerged in 1912, both in guidebooks and for free in stations. This map is credited to the London Geographical Institute of George Philip & Son Ltd., but it is unclear whether this was in collaboration with the publicity department of the UERL or if this was an independent commission.
The innovative smoothing and curving of lines used in the 1911 edition is largely gone in this example, but the introduction of empty circles to mark stations is a new development. Similar white circles were used on the tiny 1909 trifold pocket map to indicate interchange stations, but here they are used to mark all stations. Interchange stations are specifically highlighted by colouring the outer edge of the station marker to match one of the lines and then filling in the circle with the colour of the other line. This creative colouring system did not become a permanent fixture on Underground maps as it could not easily depict stations which connected more than two lines.
It is clear that this map was primarily intended for use by tourists and visitors to the capital, as dozens of landmarks and leisure venues are highlighted in yellow. These include football stadiums (Fulham, Chelsea, and Queen’s Park Rangers), cricket grounds (Lords & the Oval), London Zoo, the South Kensington museums, Kew Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tate Britain Gallery, and the Exhibitions at Earl’s Court and Shepherd’s Bush. A further detailed list of landmarks, theatres, music halls, parks, and places of amusement features on the back of the map to aid the traveller.
Finally, this is one of the only pocket maps to feature the short-lived vertical ‘UndergrounD’ logo. This format was used more widely for signs within stations, but it was only briefly printed on maps before being abandoned in favour of the horizontal logo and the now-iconic roundel. This map is also the last to use the green border which had been introduced with the first unified UERL map in 1908 – blue borders became the standard from 1913 onwards.
Printed colour. [LDN6998]
The innovative smoothing and curving of lines used in the 1911 edition is largely gone in this example, but the introduction of empty circles to mark stations is a new development. Similar white circles were used on the tiny 1909 trifold pocket map to indicate interchange stations, but here they are used to mark all stations. Interchange stations are specifically highlighted by colouring the outer edge of the station marker to match one of the lines and then filling in the circle with the colour of the other line. This creative colouring system did not become a permanent fixture on Underground maps as it could not easily depict stations which connected more than two lines.
It is clear that this map was primarily intended for use by tourists and visitors to the capital, as dozens of landmarks and leisure venues are highlighted in yellow. These include football stadiums (Fulham, Chelsea, and Queen’s Park Rangers), cricket grounds (Lords & the Oval), London Zoo, the South Kensington museums, Kew Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tate Britain Gallery, and the Exhibitions at Earl’s Court and Shepherd’s Bush. A further detailed list of landmarks, theatres, music halls, parks, and places of amusement features on the back of the map to aid the traveller.
Finally, this is one of the only pocket maps to feature the short-lived vertical ‘UndergrounD’ logo. This format was used more widely for signs within stations, but it was only briefly printed on maps before being abandoned in favour of the horizontal logo and the now-iconic roundel. This map is also the last to use the green border which had been introduced with the first unified UERL map in 1908 – blue borders became the standard from 1913 onwards.
Printed colour. [LDN6998]
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