Back in 1908, it was easy enough to fit the whole Underground network onto a geographically accurate map with streets superimposed on it, but by 1933 it had become increasingly difficult due to railway expansions into the suburbs. The following map is one of London Underground's oldest.
London's transit map in 1908
The first diagrammatic map of London's transit network was designed by Harry Beck in 1931. Harry Beck was a London Underground employee who devised a simplified map, consisting of stations, straight line segments connecting them, and the River Thames. The map was tentatively introduced to the public in a small pamphlet in 1933 and it immediately became popular. London Underground has used topological maps to illustrate the network ever since.
London's transit map in 1937
London's transit map in 1945
London's transit map in 1951
London's transit map in 1960
London's transit map in 1977
London's transit map in 1987
London's transit map in 1999
London's transit map in 2012
Did you know?
London Underground was the world's first. It opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.
London's 1st Trial Underground Railway, 1862
