This Edwardian map of the London underground represents a significant advance both in the issuing of passenger maps in a convenient format, and in terms of colour coding the lines and granting them equal weighting.

It’s also a record of the extensive development of deep-level lines at this period of the network’s development.

The Underground Electric Railways Company of London was a forerunner of London Transport. At the time of this map’s publication only four of the lines shown were under the UERL umbrella and the others remained independent.

Where most earlier maps prioritise the line of the issuing company, our map makes no such distinction. The result is a map that prioritises the needs of passengers, particularly those using the interchanges. They are enouraged to view the Underground as an integrated network. The Underground logo in the upper border is an early exercise in branding.

The earliest versions of this map advertised the Franco-British Exhibition which closed at the end of October 1908, marked here as the Shepherd’s Bush Exhibition*.

Bishopsgate, shown on our map, was renamed Liverpool Street in November 1909.

Condition & Materials

Green-bordered 'common design' Underground map, printed area measurement 28.5 x 36.5 cm, printed in colours with green border, light toning at the centre of the map, folded for insertion in a guide book, splits to folds repaired on verso with tape, a couple of small chips to upper margin, blank verso.

References

*In other respects the map is similar to the smaller of the two maps shown on page 50 of Leboff and Demuth’s ‘No Need to Ask’.

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UERL 1909 Common Design Passenger Map