In 1933, a draughtsman named Harry Beck further revolutionized the Underground with his revision of the underground map, which with all the new stations was becoming difficult to read. Beck redesigned the map, ignoring the distances between the outlying stations and enlarged the central area to make it easier to read. That map that you see in every underground station today, as well as on countless t-shirts, coffee cups, posters and diaries is basically the same innovative map that Beck designed. Beck received only a few pounds for his work, as he admitted he worked on the map largely during his spare time.
The underground proved a blessing for Londoners during the blitz in World War II. As London was bombed almost nightly, Londoners would descend to the platforms of the deepest stations and patiently wait it out. Henry Moore, better known for his sculptures, managed to capture the atmosphere of the cramped and uncomfortable conditions in a series of pencil drawings.
Many stations, especially those that date from the building boom of the 1930s are considered masterpieces of Art Deco design, with spacious curved booking offices, decorative motifs and distinctive tile work. The architect Charles Holden was largely responsible for some of the more futuristic-looking stations; his masterpiece is St James Park station, in the office building above, London Transport still has its headquarters.
Some stations are worth visiting even if you never leave the station itself – Baker Street station, just yards from the fictional home of the great detective Sherlock Holmes has murals depicting scenes from the novels set into the walls of the platforms. Platform 6 at Baker Street has been faithfully preserved to show what the station looked like back in the 1860s. Many stations on the Piccadilly Line have elements of their original designs intact as well as some good examples of decorative tile work. In sharp contrast, the new station at Canary Wharf in the shadow of the skyscrapers of London’s second financial district is a stunning and airy masterpiece of glass and steel, with over 100 shops inside.