Design icons of the London Underground
- London On The Ground
- 22 hours ago
- 7 min read
From its roundel, tube map and station architecture to clocks, wall tiles and lamps, London Underground is a major patron of art and design.
The Underground has been essential to the commercial, leisure and tourist life of London since 1863. It is also home to a stunning array of iconic designs, many of which go unnoticed by travellers on its more than 1.2 billion annual passenger journeys.
Here is my personal selection of 10 design icons of the Underground.
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1. Johnston's roundel and font
The roundel is the most famous and recognisable design on London’s transport network. It was commissioned by the Underground's publicity manager Frank Pick and designed by Edward Johnston in 1915-1917. It was being used on publicity material by 1919 and on stations and platforms from the early 1920s.
Johnston also designed the network's standardised font, which is named after its designer and is used in all London Underground signage.
The London Underground roundel is such a classic design, it's even recognisable when it's not there!
2. The Underground Map, by Henry Charles Beck
Henry Charles Beck, a temporary draughtsman for the Underground, proposed a new topographical map in 1931, reducing the emphasis on strict geographical accuracy. After some modifications, it was introduced in 1933 for pocket maps and posters.
Since then, new stations, new lines and the desire to add more information have increased the complexity of Beck's simple design classic, but his vision remains at the heart of today's tube map. Beck's diagrammatic approach has also been adopted in other cities all over the world.
For an image of the first map and the history of how it evolved, please go to the excellent London Transport Museum page on this topic at this link: Mapping London: the iconic Tube map | London Transport Museum
3. Wall tiles
Tube station walls display a imaginative range of colourful tile designs, often by well-known artists.
Among these are the tessellated mosaics at Tottenham Court Road station, by pop art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi in 1982. The design was inspired by the hi-fi and electronics shops that once dominated the area near the station.
Some pieces of Paolozzi’s artwork were removed, restored or replaced as part of the station’s Crossrail redevelopment for the Elizabeth Line. A new artwork by French artist Daniel Buren was installed in the ticket hall in 2017.
On the platforms at each of the 16 stations on the Victoria line, above the wooden benches, there is a tiled motif inspired by the station's name. They were designed by prominent 20th century artists and designers, including Edward Bawden, Hans Unger, Tom Eckersley and Peter Sedgley.
The Victoria line was opened in sections from 1968 to 1971 and was the first deep tube line built across central London in over 50 years.
Many stations have tile designs that are less ‘arty’, but which nevertheless lift the appearance of the walls above the mundane and underline the importance of design in the history of London Underground.
Some examples, shown below, include the walls of the subways leading to/from Gants Hill station and the platform walls at Gants Hill, Bethnal Green and Wanstead.
Click on any image to enlarge
4. The Hitchcock mosaics of Leytonstone station
The passageway into and out of the Central line Underground station at Leytonstone has 17 colourful mosaics by Greenwich Mural Workshop. They depict scenes from Sir Alfred Hitchcock's films and life.
See them all and find out what they portray here.
5. Balloon mosaics at Finsbury Park
There are five hot air balloons mosaics on the northbound Piccadilly line platform at Finsbury Park and five on the southbound. Four of the designs are common to both, while each platform also has one balloon unique to itself, so there are six different designs in total. They feature 52 different coloured tiles and depict hot air balloons in different stages of rising and returning to earth.
They were designed in 1983 by Annabel Grey, who also created artwork for Marble Arch station. She said she chose balloons because they are elevating and they are a simple shape.
It's worth walking the length of the platforms to see them all! Or you can just enjoy my video and photos.
6. Poster art
With its fabulous collection of 20th century posters, the London Transport Museum is now an important destination not only for those interested in the history of urban transport, but also for lovers of graphic art and design.
The museum’s Global Poster Gallery currently has an exhibition of Art Deco poster design (until April 2027).
Please look at my April 2024 blog post for my selection of posters from the London Transport Museum at that time (see Poster art and design on the London Underground). It includes stunning images created by a wide range of artists including Dora M Batty, Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden, Howard Hodgkin.
7. Leslie Green's Underground Stations
In 1903 architect Leslie Green was commissioned to design 50 new Underground stations. The exteriors all featured his signature oxblood red glazed ceramic faience blocks and semi-circular first-floor windows. Inside, the ticket hall areas had green decorative tiles, while platform areas displayed geometric tile patterned panels that varied by station and line.
The stations were built on a structural steel frame, which allowed the addition of commercial developments on top (although many remained only two storey buildings above ground).
Green, whose father was also an architect, was employed by what was then called the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and his commission covered three lines: the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (now part of the Piccadilly line), the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (now part of the Bakerloo line) and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (now part of the Northern line).
The stations opened in 1906 and 1907, after which Leslie Green's contract was terminated.
He died from pulmonary tuberculosis on 31 August 1908, aged just 33, but left a considerable legacy all over London.
My picture below is of the Northern Line's Belsize Park Station, opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway. It has been Grade II listed since 2011.
8. Charles Holden’s stations
Charles Holden was the architect for around 50 London Underground stations and for the headquarters of the Underground Electric Railways Company (later London Underground) at 55 Broadway. He also designed the University of London's Senate House (please see my post Senate House: Stalinist or Art Deco?) and many other buildings in the capital.
Holden’s design for 55 Broadway, above St James's Park tube station, is one of his most renowned buildings. It was Britain's first cruciform plan office building and, on completion in 1929, London's tallest office block.
It included sculptures by a host of renowned 20th century sculptors: Jacob Epstein, Eric Gill, Samuel Rabinovitch, Allan G Wyon, Alfred Gerrard, Eric Aumonier and, in his first public commission, Henry Moore.
Transport for London occupied 55 Broadway until 2020, when it was sold to be redeveloped as a luxury hotel.
Holden’s tube stations can be found on the Northern, Piccadilly, District and Central lines.
Just two examples of his stations are Arnos Grove (1932) and Southgate (1933), both on the Piccadilly Line.
For more on Charles Holden, please see Charles Holden, London's architect.
9. Roundel clocks
There are many beautifully designed clocks in tube stations. My favourite design features the London Transport roundel logo instead of numbers on the clock face and a roundel on the hour hand. They were designed by the Magneta Time Company and installed in stations on the eastern extension of the Central line in 1946 (for which Charles Holden was the architect).
Pictured below is a closeup of one of the clocks at Wanstead station. Examples can also be seen at Bethnal Green, Redbridge and Gants Hill.
At Wanstead there are two clocks side by side in the hall between the platforms. This allows a total of 26 roundels to be captured in a single photograph.
10. Art Deco lamps
In the 1930s and 40s a number of stations designed by Charles Holden were fitted with bronze uplighter lamps in an Art Deco style. These included smaller ones on the escalators and taller ones in passageways.
Examples include Southgate, Gants Hill and Turnpike Lane.
London Underground has supported British and international artists and designers for well over a century, adding to the cultural life of Londoners and visitors alike. There are countless more examples of great design on the tube network besides my selection of just 10.
Which are your favourites? Please let me know, whether in the comments below, on my social media, or through the contact form at the bottom of this website’s homepage.
Walks available for booking
For a schedule of forthcoming London On The Ground guided walks and tours, please click here.
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