cups came along the way but after World War I, the lines were expanded and thus the foundations of our current system were in place.


Heroes of the stations


Next time you travel on the Underground and exit the stations, take a closer look at the design of the buildings and platforms. One man designed more than 50 stations, architect Leslie Green was commissioned in 1904 with the mammoth task of creating some kind of formality to each location. When you next travel to and from a station, if it has ox blood-coloured tiles on the out- side with semi-circular archways for en- trances and green and white tiles inside the entrance hall, you’ll know you are in a Green-designed station. Remember, this is just before the First World War when liter- acy wasn’t common and the trains were traveling at quite a fast pace, so Green de- cided to make the interiors of the platform walls unique to each station. Each of his stations had different tile combinations, so that if a passenger had missed the sign of the station on the wall, they could identify the stop by the colour of the tiles. Green’s stations also have distinct features, includ- ing acanthus flowers or pomegranate tile decor and flat roofs so that the Underground could later sell the air rights to prospective builders to recoup finances. Please do stop and look at these stations as they are his legacy. Te London Underground map is one of


the easiest public transportation maps to read in the world. Interestingly, it wasn’t the first map they came up with. After many versions of trying to make a map that incor- porated well-known public buildings above ground, actual distances between stops and other 3-D attempts, it was a simple solution that won the day. In 1931 Harry Beck sub- mitted a map and as an electrician and technical drawer himself, he knew that pas- sengers didn’t really care about accuracy but easy to read stops. Basing his design on an


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electrical circuit board, this was a straight- forward map that was approved. Since his design, we haven’t had many alterations to the famous London Underground map. Today, it is so iconic that shower curtains, jewelry, t-shirts and other items are created to celebrate the fabulous and colourful design. If you have ever traveled to Piccadilly


Circus, you might have noticed a massive roundel (that’s the official name of the round tube sign) in the station with the name Frank Pick illuminated. Pick was in charge of the London Passenger Transport Board and it was under his care that the look and feel, or corporate identity, was created. In addition to approving Beck’s map, he also introduced the term “Underground” as a brand, complete with roundels as signs. He hired Edward Johnston, who created the iconic font that was used on all signs – a sans serif lettering that was easy to read for passengers on the go. Also commissioned by Frank Pick was Macdonald Gill who began the artistic tra- dition of the Underground posters, which continues to this day with ‘Art on the


Underground’, as well as drawing up the first diagrammatic tube map in 1922, de- picting the network as coloured lines con- nected with the characteristic interchange symbols. No accident that his brother was Eric Gill and trained Edward Johnstone.


Is it really underground?


Te Underground was created using sev- eral methods, a shallow process called ‘cut and cover’ whereby they dug up the ground and then covered the tunnels with the leftover dirt. Deeper tunneling was used with a tunneling shield developed by James Henry Greathead, the process was deemed a safer method for workers. Tunnels only make up only 45% of the Underground, with the deepest station being Hampstead at 58.5 meters below surface. If you like your underground with a bit


of alcohol, there is a subterranean bar called Cahoots in Soho. Te decor is post- war 1940s and the drinks are delicious. It’s the perfect way to celebrate London’s fa- mous transport system with a drink in


New underground rolling stock


MacDonald Gill’s London Underground System map, 1922, pre-dating Harry Beck’s design. Photograph: The Lettering Arts Centre


The Underground during the Blitz


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