Design Classics, The London Underground Map

October 16th, 2008 26 comments link to (permalink) posted by david

There was a period, between the wars, when European refugees like Gropius stopped in Britain. This stimulated a brief flourishing of modernism resulting in the design aesthetic of London public transport, from the Routemaster bus (the only piece of British ‘architecture’ that Corbusier liked) to moderne Tube stations such as Arnos Grove.

But the pinnacle of London Transport’s modernist design was the Tube map which rearranged distances to produce a supremely navigable schematic diagram that is little changed today. (I have been looking for this documentary for ages).

tags: architecture

26 responses so far »

Ehud : Oct 16, 2008 at 9:57 pm

Now this is why we love Smashing Telly.
NYC : Oct 18, 2008 at 4:53 pm

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mistergach : Oct 19, 2008 at 4:32 am

Excellent! Thanks a lot.
Nappies : Oct 20, 2008 at 6:29 pm

Oh this is great TV, get this guy on the BBC now!
titan : Oct 24, 2008 at 12:59 am

lovely spotlight, but did anyone else notice the steady increase in (print) registration throughout versions of the map as well? The humble observations of a print designer.
Camila Bossolan : Nov 7, 2008 at 11:56 am

It is really extraordinary lucid and it is almost impossible to improve it! It’s an amazing work!!!
Sophie Williams : Nov 24, 2008 at 11:26 am

I loved this documentry and it was very helpful for my university assignment. The only thing I am missing is a date when this documentry was aired… can anybody help?
Martin Kenny : Nov 28, 2008 at 5:27 am

Good stuff

@Sophie Williams: The copyright date at the end of the programme is 1987, and according to the IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989634/), the original air-date was 29 June 1987.
El plano del Metro de Londres « La mala memoria : Feb 4, 2009 at 2:07 pm

[...] de los símbolos más conocidos de la ciudad.A través de creattica daily he llegado hasta este documental de la BBC sobre el diseño y la historia de este histórico plano (sin subtítulos pero en inglés [...]
Adam Smith : Feb 28, 2009 at 5:03 am

Enjoyable film. The underground network is always interesting to watch/read/learn about!
ETRAFTA » Haritalar! : Mar 13, 2009 at 3:37 pm

[...] 802.11 adlı flickr kullanıcısı kokuların birbirleriyle olan ilişkilerini bir diyagram haline getirmiş. Koku gibi hiçbir zaman “map” edilebileceğini düşünmediğim bir fenomen için iyi bir deneme. Asıl mevzum ise bu değil, bu diyagram tipinin nasıl çıktığı üzerine bir belgesel. Gitgide karmaşıklaşan Londra metro haritasını (Yine İngilizler!) coğrafi özellikleri hesaba katmayan bir soyutlamayla yeniden yaratan ve tabiki her güzel şey gibi ilk denemesinde statüko tarafından reddedilen Harry Beck’in macerası bu. [...]
John Thomas : Sep 17, 2009 at 2:58 pm

cheerio. great analysis of diagram that holds such itinerant utility.
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Malinka : Feb 25, 2010 at 8:56 am

It doesn't run, unfortunately. But there's cartoon porn in the comment field – yay! (NOT.)
Andrew : Mar 9, 2010 at 11:17 pm

The video doesn't appear to work, but there's also a copy here if that helps:
http://www.geek-documentaries.com/miscellaneous/d...
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MattPowell : May 23, 2013 at 8:24 am

hey you know that a Documentary about the London Underground Map, created in 1931 by Henry Beck..

thanks
MattPowell : May 23, 2013 at 8:24 am

hey you know that a Documentary about the London Underground Map, created in 1931 by Henry Beck..
สถานที่ท่องเที่ยว : May 23, 2013 at 8:24 am

Oh… the file removed! I'd like to see it so much. Can you fix it?
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