Mapping the Tube: 1863-2023
The London Underground map: evolution of a design icon
The Map House presents the new exhibition Mapping the Tube: 1863-2023 exploring the evolution of London’s Tube system and the iconic London Underground map over 160 years. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see and purchase hand-drawn and annotated manuscripts by Harry Beck on the 50th anniversary of his death. Beck's 1933 pocket map influenced the design of transport maps worldwide, and is an instantly recognisable design icon.
The exhibition will include the most significant collection of Beck manuscripts ever offered for sale, some gifted by Beck to his friend and biographer Ken Garland. Highlights include: a one-of-a-kind draft copy of Harry Beck’s first Underground map, annotated by Beck and his predecessor Fred Stingemore, which highlights some of the tricky design questions he had to overcome, such as whether to use the official name of 'Willesden Junction (New Station)' or stick with a simplified 'Willesden Junction'; the resulting exceedingly rare 1st Edition Underground poster map (1933), of which only 5 copies of the original 2,000 are known; and a unique, unfinished sketch from 1950 drawn in coloured pencil showing a proposed new layout for the District Line branch to Richmond.
The exhibition is free and will be open to the public during The Map House's regular opening hours:
Monday to Friday - 10:30am to 6pm
Saturday - 10:30am to 5pm
Follow us on instagram @themaphouse for exhibition updates.
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The Map House - Edward Stanford, A New Map of Metropolitan Railways Sanctioned in 1864, 1864£ 875.00
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The Map House - W.J. Adams & Sons, The "District Railway" Map of London - Jubilee Edition, 1887£ 1,050 (framed)
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The Map House - Sampson Low, Marston & Company, The "District Railway" Map of London - 6th Edition, 1898£ 700.00
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The Map House - Sampson Low, Marston & Company, The "District Map" of Greater London and Environs - 1st Edition, 1902£ 400.00
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The Map House - Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), The Underground Electric Railways of London, 1904£ 2,800 (framed)
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The Map House - Sampson Low, Marston & Company, The "District Railway" Map of London - 7th Edition, 1906£ 650.00
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The Map House - Railway Clearing House, Official Railway Map of London and its Environs, 1907£ 550.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Railways, 1909£ 950 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Railways, 1910£ 950 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, The Underground Map of London, 1911£ 950 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Railways, 1912£ 950 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, Underground Map of London with some Motor Bus Extensions, 1916£ 550.00
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The Map House - London Underground, Map of the Electric Railways of London, 1919£ 1,200 (framed)
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The Map House - MacDonald Gill, London Underground, 1922£ 1,250 (framed)
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The Map House - Macdonald Gill, Map of the Underground Railways of London, 1923£ 1,650 (framed)
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The Map House - Kennedy North, British Empire Exhibition 1924, 1923£ 650.00
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The Map House - J.C. Betts, Underground Railways of London, 1924£ 750 (framed)
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The Map House - Waterlow & Sons, Underground Map of London, 1924£ 750.00
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The Map House - Macdonald Gill, The Wonderground Map of London, 1924 c.£ 4,800 (framed)
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The Map House - Fred H. Stingemore, Map of London's Underground Railways, 1927Reserved
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The Map House - Macdonald Gill, The Country Bus Services Map, 1928£ 6,500 (framed)
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The Map House - E.G. Perman, Underground Railways of London, 1928£ 925 (framed)
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The Map House - London General Omnibus Co., General Omnibus Map of London, 1929£ 195.00
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The Map House - Fred H. Stingemore, Underground Map of London, 1929Reserved
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The Map House - Fred H. Stingemore, Map of London's Underground Railways, 1930£ 795 (framed)
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The Map House - Fred H. Stingemore, Underground Railways of London, 1931£ 795 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Unpublished Annotated Proof for the January 1933 First Edition, 1932Reserved
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The Map House - Edward Stanford, Hyde Park Corner Tube Station and 1/4 Miles Around, 1932£ 1,250.00
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The Map House - Harry Beck, First Edition - January, 1933£ 4,950 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Ministry of Health Variant - April, 1933£ 1,450 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, First Edition Double-Crown - August, 1933£ 55,000 (framed)
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The Map House - Heather 'Herry' Perry, Rugby - Rugby League Cup Final Underground Poster, 1933£ 3,500 (framed)
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The Map House - Cecil Walter Bacon, To The Theatres by London Transport, 1934£ 10,000 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1934£ 750 (framed)
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The Map House - Anna Katrina Zinkeisen, Football - FA Cup Final Panel Poster, 1934£ 5,000 inc. VAT (framed)
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The Map House - Clifford & Rosemary Ellis, Christmas Shopping by Underground Poster, 1935£ 4,000 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1937£ 550 (framed)
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The Map House - Geographia Ltd., The Coronation Area, 1937£ 350.00
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The Map House - London Transport, Underground Railway Map, 1937£ 450.00
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1938£ 550 (framed)
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The Map House - Hans Schleger, The First 'Zero' Tube Map, 1938£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, Bakerloo Line Extension, 1939£ 225.00
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The Map House - New South Wales Railways, Railway Map - Sydney Suburban and City Underground Railway, 1939£ 1,350 (framed)
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The Map House - Hans Schleger, The Second 'Zero' Tube Map, 1939£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - Hans Schleger, Wartime Tube Map, 1940£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - Hans Schleger, The Final 'Zero' Map, 1941£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Beck's First Wartime Map, 1941£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Beck's Second Wartime Map, 1943£ 500 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, ABC Railway Guide Tube Map, 1943£ 350
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Beck's Final Wartime Map, 1945£ 450 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Quad Foolscap Poster with Shepherd Border, 1946£ 6,500 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1947£ 450 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Transport, 1947£ 345.00
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1948£ 450 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1949£ 450 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1950£ 400 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Partial Sketch for the 1951 Quad Royal Poster, 1950£ 10,000 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1951£ 400 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1953£ 400 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1954£ 400 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1955£ 350 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1956£ 350 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1957£ 350 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, London Underground Map, 1958£ 350 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Manuscript Victoria Line Sketches, 1961 - 1964£ 20,000.00
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The Map House - Harold Hutchison, Hutchison's Final Tube Map, 1963£ 300 (framed)
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The Map House - London Transport, Visitor's London Quad Royal Tube Map, 1963£ 1,850 (framed)
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The Map House - Harry Beck, Harry Beck's first sketch of a diagonal Victoria Line, 1964Reserved
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, Garbutt's First Tube Map, 1964£ 300 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1965£ 275 (framed)
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The Map House - London Transport, Visitor's London, 1966£ 350 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1967£ 235 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1968£ 275 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground, 1969£ 275 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1970£ 250 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1971£ 250.00
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1972£ 250.00
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The Map House - Massimo Vignelli, New York Subway Map, 1972£ 750 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, Quad Royal Poster, 1973£ 2,500 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1973£ 250 (framed)
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1976£ 120.00
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1978£ 120.00
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The Map House - Paul E. Garbutt, London Underground Map, 1979£ 120.00
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The Map House - London Transport, Notting Hill Gate Platform Roundel, 1980 c.£ 650.00
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The Map House - London Transport, London Underground Map, 1982£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Transport, London Underground Map, 1984£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 1985£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 1986£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 1987£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 1989£ 95.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2001£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2002£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2003£ 115 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2006£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2007£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2008£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2009£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2010£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2011£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2012£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2013£ 115 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2014£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2015£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2016£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Transport, Night Tube, 2017£ 85 (framed)
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2017£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2018£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2020£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2021£ 35.00
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The Map House - London Underground, London Underground Map, 2023£ 115 (framed)