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London Tube map creator's story told in new play

London Transport Museum A black and white image of Harry Beck wearing a suit and sitting in front of a London Underground map which is on the wall behind himLondon Transport Museum
Harry Beck reimagined the map system by basing it on a circuit diagram

A play exploring the life of London Tube map creator Harry Beck has opened on the 50th anniversary of his death.

First created in 1931, the map moved away from geographical features of the city and was instead based on a circuit diagram.

Matt Brosnan, head curator at the London Transport Museum, described it as an "amazing design that's really stood the test of time".

The play, titled "The Truth About Harry Beck", is at the London Transport Museum’s on-site Cubic Theatre until 10 November.

PA Media 1931 presentation drawing for diagrammatic Underground map, featuring Tube stations and lines, by Harry BeckPA Media
A presentation drawing by Harry Beck for a diagrammatic Underground map

'Too revolutionary'

Mr Beck's design was almost not used, said Andy Burden, artistic director and writer at the Natural Theatre Company, the production company behind the play.

He said when Mr Beck sent the design to Frank Pick, then chief executive of London Transport, Mr Pick called it "too revolutionary".

The Map House A 1909 map of the London Underground Railways, by the Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)The Map House
Mr Beck's version reimagined an Underground map that focussed on geography

Mr Brosnan added: "Harry Beck revolutionised [the map] by simplifying it - squeezing the centre of London into something that was much more legible - so that the stations weren't literally where they were.

"You could actually read them much more easily on the map."

Since it was rolled out, the map continued to be updated, amended and expanded as the network grew.

The Map House Harry Beck’s first edition double-crown Tube map, August 1933The Map House
The evolution of London's transport maps is also the focus of a new exhibition

Mr Beck's map is also being celebrated in a new exhibition in Knightsbridge.

The Map House is exploring the evolution of the Tube system and its map over 160 years.

Mapping the Tube: 1863-2023, will run from 25 October until 30 November, and includes hand-drawn and annotated manuscripts by Mr Beck.

Exhibition curator Charles Roberts said: "The survival of many of the materials we have on display is remarkable.

"These maps were largely distributed for free as a tool for the public.

"They were not intended to be saved but here they are, providing us with a unique insight into London’s history.

"The Harry Beck manuscripts we are offering present a unique opportunity to look over his shoulder and see the great designer at work.”

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