Steven Parry
Introduction Being a commuter on London Underground for some years I realised how little I absorbed of the beauty and aesthetics of the system. Caught in the rush of commuting, the stress of potential delays I, like lots of fellow passengers, settled down into my seat (if lucky) and drifted into a land of newspapers, books or music, having very little concern for the thought and effort of everything around me. This project has been an exploration of the system with a different perspective—looking out for the ordinary, the mundane, the overlooked. Often these things have a charm and interest to them that are just not noticed. I hope to bring these out in a way that brings interest to people. From the subtle coding—the intricate patterns and colour systems inside each carriage, each indicating an identity for that particular line to the wonderful perspective views from the escalators and maze like corridors it is truly a city unto itself—and of course the commuters themselves, often colourful characters adding an energy and movement which is the part of the network. I have travelled every underground line from start to end and documented the journey; the movement of passengers through the trains, the manic busy periods to the relative calm and tranquility of the last stop, where one can step back and see the design in its simple and elegant glory. This booklet highlights some of the aspects of my short film of these journeys, allowing the viewer to appreciate the points in more detail. The film can be viewed at: www.vimeo.com/90742222
Steven Parry
Journeys Waterloo & City
Waterloo to Bank
Victoria
Walthamstow Central to Brixton
Bakerloo
Elephant & Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone
Circle
Victoria to Victoria
Jubilee
Stratford to Stanmore
Metropolitan
Aldgate to Uxbridge
Hammersmith & City
Barking to Hammersmith
Northern
Morden to High Barnet (via Bank)
Central
West Ruislip to Epping
District
Wimbledon to Upminster
Piccadilly
Cockfosters to Heathrow Terminal 5
West Ruislip
Aldgate
Wimbledon
Stratford
Elephant & Castle Walthamstow Central Morden
Victoria
Cockfosters
Barking
Waterloo
Epping
Uxbridge
Upminster
Stanmore
Harrow & Wealdstone Brixton
High Barnet
Victoria
Heathrow Terminal 5 Hammersmith
Bank
DET
BETWEEN T
TAIL
THE LINES
Metropolitan Line
Bakerloo Line
Jubilee Line
Northern Line
District Line
Hammersmith & City Line
Central Line
Piccadilly Line
Circle Line
Waterloo & City Line
Victoria Line
JOURNEY STATS LINE
ROUTE
LENGTH
HAMMERSMITH & CITY
Barking to Hammersmith
15.8 miles
29
63 mins
BAKERLOO
Elephant & Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone
JUBILEE
Stratford to Stanmore
14.5 miles 22.5 miles
25 27
48 mins 57 mins
DISTRICT
Wimbledon to Upminster
30.4 miles
41
86 mins
VICTORIA
Walthamstow Central to Brixton
13.2 miles
16
33 mins
PICCADILLY
Cockfosters to Heathrow Terminal 5
37.5 miles
38
90 mins
NORTHERN
Morden to High Barnet (via Bank)
20.7 miles
32
70 mins
WATERLOO & CITY
Waterloo to Bank
1.5
miles
02
04 mins
METROPOLITAL
Aldgate to Uxbridge
19.4 miles
22
61 mins
CENTRAL
West Ruislip to Epping
43
miles
37
82 mins
CIRCLE
Victoria to Victoria
17
miles
27
51 mins
STATIONS DURATION
View the film
www.vimeo.com/90742222
Set in Gill Sans 12pt with use of P22 Johnston Underground Editing & Design: Photography:
Steven Parry Steven Parry
Tube map illustration (pages 6–7) adapted from London Underground map designed by H. Beck Š 2014 Steven Christopher Parry