These first maps were geographically accurate, showing streets and other features. But in 1908, under the early marketing agreements that were made, a joint map was published, and at the same time the ‘UNDERGROUND’ term was promoted and displayed prominently across the top of the early maps. In the early days of the system, each separate company printed a map of its own line showing the various stations. Following the election of the Labour government after WWII on a platform of nationalisation of industry, the LPTB was nationalised. After WWI, with government funding and support, the system was further expanded, and in 1933 all the underground trains and the above-ground bus and tram services were merged into the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB). During WWI, and again in WWII, the stations were used as underground shelters against bombing raids.

These early lines were shallow, vented by shafts in the walls extending to the surface, which can still be seen at Baker Street station, and extended up to 50 miles out into the countryside, where much of the working-class lived.įully underground lines with electric trains began in 1890 with the City and South London Line, and by the early 20th century an extensive network of different companies, linked by marketing agreements, ran the system. Nonetheless, other lines soon followed, with the District and the Circle Lines by 1884. The system was intended for transporting workers, and indeed, with all the smoke and ash filling the tunnels and the stations, few other people were willing to use the early trains. The train was pulled through the tunnels by a steam engine fuelled with coal, and the carriages were lit by gas lights. The London Underground railway system, always referred to as “The Tube,” was the world’s first such system and began with the opening in 1863 of the Metropolitan Line. Despite this, there was a fight to get credit for his creation from London Transport.

This led to a global standard that most transport networks now follow. Henry C Beck was a simple draftsman who thought the London Underground’s Tube map was too complicated and could be easier to understand if it looked more like an electrical diagram. London’s history is filled with historical figures who were just doing a job or once had an idea that turned into something bigger than they ever intended. Beck received little credit for his work during his lifetime.As instantly recognisable as the Union Jack.Set a style for transport maps around the world.

The tube map