A new exhibition on the evolution of the Tube map offers a timely boost to a small London museum just as it faces closure.
The Church Farmhouse Museum in Hendon is set inside a quaint 17th Century farm building. A creaky upstairs floor, which safely holds just 15 people, currently contains a potted history of our beloved Tube map — from the earliest Victorian efforts to an up-to-date diagram.
The focus is initially on Harry Beck, the local boy who designed the first Tube map to ditch geographical accuracy in favour of simplicity. But the story soon moves on to later updates, the influence of Beck's map on other city metro systems and the 'total design' principles of that other great Tube sprucer, Frank Pick.
Highlights include a map showing a thwarted extension of the Northern Line to Elstree, a pre-Beck chart showing the exact tunnel routes beneath London's streets, and the much maligned Hutchinson map of 1960 — an ugly duckling beside Beck's creations but innovative in its use of station symbols.
For any fans of the Tube, this is a must-see exhibition. For anyone else...well, you can have fun making the display cabinets wobble by pressing down on the creaky floorboards.