The "District Railway" map of London ; 6th edition : Sampson, Low, Marston & Co Ltd., London, c1908 : cover
For many years the Metropolitan District Railway (better known as the "District Railway"), formed to operate the southern sections of the "Inner Circle" railway in London in 1864 in connection with the Metropolitan Railway, 'sponsored' a railway map of London. This, that unsurprisingly gave some prominence to their services and rather less so to its competitors, ran to several editions and in various forms. The most common 'cased' versions are similar to this, the 6th edition, that is undated but that was published in c1908. This was after the takeover of the the company by American interests, its merger into the new Underground Electric Railways Group, and electrification. I suspect that the dowdy covers of the map, itself published by the London concern of Simpson, Low, Marston & Co Ltd., would have started to raise eyebrows back at the railway's head office by this date as publicity was a hot topic under the UERL and its publicity officer, Frank Pick.
The inner cover gives a tabulated description of the various District and associated railway's "lines' and although many of these services are still recognisable on today's maps of London railways others, both stations and services, have vanished or changed as the network has evolved. One interesting inscription on this cover is that of "F H Stingemore". Many of you will 'recognise' the name as he was for many years the 'designer' of the London tube map prior to the introduction of the Beck map after 1933. An LT employee he also drew maps for other other company publications and cartoons for staff magazines!
The "District Railway" map of London ; 6th edition : Sampson, Low, Marston & Co Ltd., London, c1908 : cover
For many years the Metropolitan District Railway (better known as the "District Railway"), formed to operate the southern sections of the "Inner Circle" railway in London in 1864 in connection with the Metropolitan Railway, 'sponsored' a railway map of London. This, that unsurprisingly gave some prominence to their services and rather less so to its competitors, ran to several editions and in various forms. The most common 'cased' versions are similar to this, the 6th edition, that is undated but that was published in c1908. This was after the takeover of the the company by American interests, its merger into the new Underground Electric Railways Group, and electrification. I suspect that the dowdy covers of the map, itself published by the London concern of Simpson, Low, Marston & Co Ltd., would have started to raise eyebrows back at the railway's head office by this date as publicity was a hot topic under the UERL and its publicity officer, Frank Pick.
The inner cover gives a tabulated description of the various District and associated railway's "lines' and although many of these services are still recognisable on today's maps of London railways others, both stations and services, have vanished or changed as the network has evolved. One interesting inscription on this cover is that of "F H Stingemore". Many of you will 'recognise' the name as he was for many years the 'designer' of the London tube map prior to the introduction of the Beck map after 1933. An LT employee he also drew maps for other other company publications and cartoons for staff magazines!