The first diagrammatic map of London's rapid transit network was designed by Harry Beck in 1931. Beck was a London Underground employee who realised that because the railway ran mostly underground, the physical locations of the stations were irrelevant to the traveller wanting to know how to get to one station from another — only the topography of the railway mattered.
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| The 1933 version of the Tube Map |
The diagrammatic map immediately became popular, and the Underground has used topological maps to illustrate the network ever since, although it has been modified a number of times. One of the major changes to be made to the revision of the Tube map put out in September 2009 was the removal of the River Thames which resulted in widespread international media attention and general disapproval from most Londoners. Based on this reaction, the following edition of the diagram in December 2009 reinstated both the river and fare zones.
Now Mark Noad of Mark Moad Design has produced an up to date alternative London Tube Map that shows all lines and stations in the correct geographical positions.
The map can be downloaded by clicking on the link below and by using the + and - keys you can zoom in to examine fine detail.
http://www.london-tubemap.com/
Thanks to Mark Noad who has given his permission to show the map on the Focus Blog. His website can be found on
http://www.therightidea.co.uk/
All versions of the map over the years can be found on
http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html
David Gambles
