Celebrating 150 years

Love it or loathe it, the London Underground is the life blood flowing beneath our vibrant city, connecting hungry London explorers to the city's numerous attractions.

To mark the 150th anniversary, we've curated a collection of pieces inspired by and celebrating the London Underground and its iconic status at the heart of London. All aboard!

London Transport Museum's celebrations

London Transport Museum is planning a year-long celebration of events to mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest underground railway and has created a stunning range of 150th anniversary gifts for the occasion too.

The original journey will be recreated on Sunday 13 and 20 January 2013 when a series of special trains will be hauled by the newly restored Met Steam Locomotive No. 1. The new exhibition Poster Art 150, celebrating London Underground's greatest designs opens February 15.

Q&A with London Transport Museum

 Can you tell us why this is such a landmark anniversary?

'The Underground was the world's first underground railway, has kept London moving for 150 years, and shaped the very nature of the city and its people'.

Mike Walton, Head of Trading.

How do you create a range of ceramics celebrating such a vast design heritage?

'The solution was to distill down to the very core elements that formed the 'blueprint' for the iconic visual identity of the Underground today: Edward Johnston's distinctive roundel and typeface, Charles Holden's architecture and Harry Beck's radical re-invention of the tube map.'

'The New English was the perfect partner to bring these designs to life. The range celebrates the beauty in the industrial and functional aesthetic of the Underground, paired with delicate, hand-made, contemporary ceramics'.

Andy Spencer, Product Designer.

'The Roundel' Special Edition 

The London Underground logo is instantly recognizable, even by those who have never visited the city. Simple and effective, ubiquitous and reassuring it expresses the all-embracing nature of the capital’s transport network.

The Roundel Special Edition of 150 presents the famous London Underground logo rethought and refashioned by one hundred international artists in a unique cloth bound edition and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Artists as diverse as Jeremy Deller, Sir Peter Blake, Roger Hiorns, Cornelia Parker, Gavin Turk and Richard Wentworth offer a personal and affectionate take on the familiar motif, revealing in their own words what inspired their creations.

The limited edition book also features a fascinating text by design writer Jonathan Glancey who looks at the genesis of the Roundel a century ago and considers the reasons for its enduring success.

Amusing and absorbing, The Roundel will delight all lovers of London and transport fanatics, as well as those who follow the latest trends in art, graphic design and corporate branding.