Dating back to 1932, it is the earliest known copy of Harry Beck’s map, which revolutionised the way Londoners navigate the tube system.
Finchley resident Beck and his predecessor Fred Stingemore annotated the working copy as the map reached its final stages of development before debuting in 1933.
Beck was an electrical draughtsman who based his concept on a circuit diagram.
He ignored geography in favour of clarity and logic, with vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, and colour-coded routes.
The only topographical feature shown was the River Thames.
The map, which will be auctioned by Christie’s on December 11, shows how they arrived at the world famous diagram – including colour corrections for Waterloo and South Kensington, and the reinstatement of the Metropolitan line branch to Watford.
Other notes include pointing out there was no Picadilly line service to South Ealing and querying the name Willesden Junction with (New Station) in brackets.
Few working proofs have survived, with most in the care of the London Transport Museum. With a guide price of £70,000-£100,000 the map is a rare chance to buy a surviving artefact of pioneering British design, one which went on to inspire other rail systems around the world.
James Hyslop, head of science and natural history at Christie’s, said: “It’s a real privilege to bring to auction Harry Beck’s own annotated proof of the 1932 Underground map – and to do so in London makes it even more special.
“This is one of the most influential designs of the 20th century. Beck’s map transformed the way we visualise cities, replacing geography with clarity and logic, and became as iconic as the Tube network itself.
“Seeing his handwritten notes is like witnessing the moment London’s transport identity was born. With only a handful of Beck’s manuscripts known to survive, this sale offers a rare chance to own a foundational piece of London’s visual history.”
An English Heritage blue plaque in Wesley Road, Leyton, marks Harry Beck’s birthplace in 1902.
By 1911 the family had moved to Highgate, where young Harry was educated at Grove House School and attended art classes locally.
He started working for London Transport as an engineering draughtsman in 1925 and it was during a spell between jobs in 1931 that he first designed his map.
At first it was rejected by Underground management as too revolutionary, but when 850,000 pocket-sized copies of the ‘diagram’ were printed in the first two months of 1933, the public loved it.
By March that year Beck had produced 40 by 50 inch poster versions of the map and a new way of navigating the city was born.
From 1936 to 1960, Beck lived at 60, Courthouse Road, Finchley, where a Finchley Society plaque marks the spot.
There’s another memorial plaque at Finchley Central Tube station which he used on his regular commute. It sits alongside a copy of the map on the southbound platform with a board bearing the text: “One man’s vision – A public transport system is of little benefit to its customers if they are unable to find their way around it.”
Even after leaving London Transport, Beck continued to update his map as new stations and lines came into service.
It is thought he was only paid five guineas (£5.25) for the original design.
