1916 – WW1 Underground Map of London by Johnson Riddle & Co Ltd for Underground Group.

Three-colour lithograph (text on verso). Dated September 1916.

Only a handful of Underground maps were published during the First World War as cost-saving measures and government restrictions on printing were implemented. This 1916 map is a complete change in style from the UERL maps of 1908-1912 and stands in stark contrast to the vibrancy of Macdonald Gill’s 1914 ‘Wonderground’ map. All of the lines are printed in red with no distinction between the Metropolitan Railway and its Underground competitors. Parks are shaded in green and the river is in blue, providing some additional colour to an otherwise drab map.

The ‘UndergrounD’ logo does appear in the top-right corner of the map, but it overlaps into the map as if it was added as an afterthought. The fonts used throughout are plain and hurried in comparison to earlier maps, and little thought appears to have been given to the placement of station names and the overall legibility of the map. In every way this is a map produced in a hurry during a time of national crisis by less-than-qualified staff. Though it is far from the most attractive Underground map ever printed, its historical context as one of the few maps published during the First World War makes this an interesting collector’s item.

Fans of London’s buses should also note the inclusion of bus routes and bus extensions to the Underground network. Having acquired the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) in 1912, the Underground group now saw buses as part of a coherent transport network rather than as competition for passengers.

Overall size 44.5cm x 30cm.

Condition is good with light overall age toning.

A RARE SURVIVOR.