Rare tube maps on display at Knightsbridge’s Map House exhibition

Anyone walking past The Map House in Knightsbridge can be sure it’s hosting a display of tube maps, thanks to the gold tube map decal filling the shop window.

And if you step inside, they’ve filled their shop with tube maps as part of a collective sale — so you can either visit to have a look, or if blessed with suitably deep pockets, to leave with one of them.

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 Green (New Station)’ or stick with a simplified ‘Willesden Junction’.

There’s also the resulting exceedingly rare 1st Edition Underground Poster (1933), of which only 5 copies of the original 2,000 are known.

There’s a lot here to see — such as in the window, the large 1973 tube map showing the Jubilee line under construction – still showing up as Fleet line, and the Piccadilly extension to Heathrow. And next to it, the exact opposite in size — the tiny tri-fold map from around 1911, and the smallest size ever issued by London Transport.

Inside, the collection ranges from pocket maps to poster-sized and a few even larger upstairs. I was particularly taken with an 1880 improved District line map, and of course, there’s a MacDonald Gill map here. Several other classic tube maps were also issued with decorative features that are rarely seen today, such as the Perman map from 1928 with an elephant in London Zoo and a stag in Richmond Park.

One of the nice touches is seeing so many post-Beck maps side by side so you can compare the subtle changes not just as the tube network expanded but also stylistically in how the lines are laid out.

I recommend paying attention to the New Cross Gate area and Elephant & Castle in some of the early maps.

It’s not just old maps, as some modern interpretations are also here, such as the recent circular map.

Unlike a polished exhibition in an austere galley, this is a collection of tube maps for sale in a shop overflowing with maps. It’s a slightly cluttered layout, which is a delight to visit, albeit a shop with several small rooms, so you might find yourself having to dance around other visitors at times. But that’s part of the olde shoppe feel of the display.

The exhibition, Mapping the Tube: 1863-2023 is free to visit and open during The Map House’s regular opening hours.

• Monday to Friday: 10:30am to 6pm
• Saturday: 10:30am to 5pm

It’s on Beauchamp Place, about halfway between South Kensington and Knightsbridge tube stations. You could possibly whet your appetite by arriving from Knightsbridge tube station, where they have a heritage map on the westbound platform.