A Simpler Journey

 This January sees the 90^th Anniversary of the introduction of the iconic London Tube Map.

It was created by Harry Beck who was an electrical draughtsman with London Underground.  He died in 1974 and was never really fully recognised, or even paid, for his ground-breaking design.

Before Beck the maps on offer charted the actual routes of the trains, with all their complicated twists and turns.  These maps attempted an honourable realism when it came to distances between stations and the direction of travel.  Yet Beck knew they could be confusing, especially if a traveller was in a hurry and needed to make a quick decision about their onwards travel, including which station to exit and which to connect with.

So, he took his inspiration from the electrical circuit boards with which he worked, daily. In his evenings, technically his spare time, he engaged in his commissioned task of drawing a new map for the London Tube.  It wouldn’t truly represent the actual distances between stations or the physical route of the line.  Instead, it would be simpler, easier to read yet giving all the information the traveller needed in planning a journey.

Harry Beck’s ‘elders and betters’ at London Transport were not convinced and thought his plan too radical; one that the general public just wouldn’t want.  Yet, they were willing to give it a try.  So, in 1932 500 copies of the map were published and distributed at just a few stations to see how it would go down.

Well, as the say ‘the rest is history’.  It was an instant success and passengers loved it because it was easier to navigate.  So, in January 1933, 90 years this month it was formally launched as the Underground’s official map – and although it has been added to since, it’s basically stayed the same for nine decades.

Not everyone liked it of course, and the French absolutely rejected Beck’s attempt to do the same for the Paris Metro.  They stayed with the wiggly lines, for a few decades at least, because if you look at The Metro Map today it has more than an echo of the style of Harry Beck.

It's often said, about life and faith, that’s it’s not the destination that matters but the journey, and there is certainly great wisdom in that thought. Yet, sometimes we can be put off from even starting a journey because it all seems so fraught and complex. 

Harry Beck wanted to reassure the travelling public of just two things: simply they were on the right line and they would eventually reach the right station.  The other parts of the journey they simply didn’t have to worry about.

Of course, all our journeys are different, no two are the same and all of us get surprises along the way.

Yet, perhaps the Wise Men and their journey teaches us a thing or two at this Season of Epiphany, and it’s much the same as Harry Beck’s understanding.

We know so little about the route of the Magi apart from the facts they came from the east, stopped off and visited Herod En route, and then arrived at the home of the Holy Family and presented their gifts.

It’s enough to know the purpose and the spirit of their travels.  They felt led by God and their end point was the worship of the Christ Child.  That give their journey a profound significance.

Our journeys this year are unlikely to be simple or straightforward, so perhaps it’s always a blessing that we don’t know the twists and turns that are before us. Yet if we are seeking to be on a journey of integrity and peace, if we are committed to walking alongside others at the Speed of Love, then we can, I think, be assured that God is with us, and our journey is worthwhile.  Everything else can be dealt with along the way.

Travel well through 2023.