10 January 2013 Last updated at 00:04

Tube 150th anniversary: How the Underground map evolved

The first London Underground pocket map was produced in 1908, when what is now known as the Northern Line was still named the Hampstead Railway.

By 1930, the Northern Line had been extended beyond Golders Green to Edgware, and there was a proposed extension of the Piccadilly Line west of Hammersmith.

The first version of the now famous map, produced by Underground employee Harry Beck, was released in 1933. The network has grown over time, but some stops - including British Museum - were later closed.

This post-war map shows proposed extensions to the Central Line, both east and west, as well as a proposed extension of the Northern Line to Alexandra Palace that was never completed.

By 1960, the map had been redesigned by Harold Hutchinson, giving the lines different angles. The extension to the Central Line had been completed eastbound and west to West Ruislip.

This map from 1972 shows the completed Victoria Line to Brixton, which opened in July 1972. Maps had been changed back to the Beck style because people found Hutchinson's maps harder to read.

The biggest change to the Underground in recent times is the Jubilee Line extension to Stratford, which was completed in December 1999. (All images courtesy of London Transport Museum.)

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Tube 150th anniversary: How the Underground map evolved

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