Celebrate Good Times....with a Map!
Be they souvenirs or for travel, these maps stand out as much as the events they celebrate
Travel in City of London will be Affected During the Games: Map (2012) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
London's always hosted big national and international events
People want to attend and watch them. People need to use transport to do this, and they need to know how to use the transport.
We produce special maps to accompany these big events, be they sporting events, royal events, or even events that happen every year
Map of British Empire Exhibition 1924 (1924-04-01)TfL Corporate Archives
British Empire Exhibition 1924 and 1925
The purpose built venue for the event in Wembley Park, would become Wembley Stadium
How To Get To and From The British Empire Exhibition Wembley Park (1924-04-23) by Metropolitan RailwayTfL Corporate Archives
The main way of getting to the Exhibition was on the Metropolitan Railway
Coronation Arrangements 1937 Map 1 (1937-05-12) by London Passenger Transport BoardTfL Corporate Archives
Coronation of King George VI 12th May 1937
Some stations were open all night, whilst others were completely closed. Travel information was collated in a folder map which was distributed to the public. In total 5,600,000 passengers were transported to the coronation area
World War II Victory Day Celebrations Route Map (1946-06-08) by London Passenger Transport BoardTfL Corporate Archives
1946 Victory Day Celebrations Route Map
A marching column featured the British Chiefs of Staff and the Allied Supreme Commanders. Then came a mechanised column more than 4 miles long and containing over 500 vehicles. Nearly 2 million people viewed the procession
Festival of Britain 1951 Map (1951) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
1951 Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the UK in the summer of 1951
Festival of Britain Road Traffic Map for Southbank and Battersea (1951-07-15) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
Road traffic map for South Bank and Battersea
In London, events spread out across the capital with the main sites being the purpose built Festival Hall on the South Bank, and the Festival Pleasure Gardens in Battersea Park. Over 8 million people visited these 2 sites alone
Welcome to London - Festival of Britain 1951 (1951) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
Bienvenido a Londres!
The 1951 Festival Maps are the earliest we have that include foreign languages - something quite common in our material today
The Coronation Processional Way (1953-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2nd June 1953
Some train services operated from 3am to take spectators to view points along the procession route. 5.5 miles of the transport network was sealed off as traffic flows on Coronation Day were different in direction, volume and timing from normal week-day services
Map of 1953 Coronation Area (1953-06-02) by London Transport ExecutiveTfL Corporate Archives
2 million copies of a special folder map showing the coronation area were issued to assist spectators in planning their journeys. The map design was strikingly similar to that of the 1937 coronation!
During the 1966 World Cup London hosted 10 matches. Of these matches 9 were hosted at Wembley and 1 at White City. 96,924 people attended the final (which you may have heard England won!) and the 1966 tournament boasted the largest average attendance for the World Cup tournament until it was surpassed by the 1994 event.
World Cup 1966 Travel Leaflet (1966-07-11) by London Transport BoardTfL Corporate Archives
Bespoke publications including passenger guides, sight-seeing leaflets and underground maps were produced to support the communication strategy and featured an image of World Cup Willie, the tournament’s mascot
Travel guide map for Golden Jubilee weekend (2002-06-04)TfL Corporate Archives
Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee was held in June 2002
A Royal procession and several large-scale events were planned to mark the occasion, including a music concert at Buckingham Palace Gardens, a firework display at Green Park and Trafalgar Square, and a Notting Hill Carnival recreation down The Mall involving 20,000 people
To help the public and staff with their travel plans, TfL produced 3 million copies of a special Golden Jubilee Travel Guide. Commemorative tube maps were issued and ticket stock printed to mark the occasion. After the celebrations were over, the sterling work undertaken by TfL to provide an efficient and safe transport service was recognised nationwide
Map of Tube Stations, Buses and Walking Routes near Notting Hill Carnival (2001-08-30) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
Notting Hill Carnival: the largest street festival in Europe
It began in 1966 and takes place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of London W11.
Carnival is the single most popular event in London, attracting between 750,000-1.5 million people across the 2 days. London Underground transports c.50% of those attending
Notting Hill Carnival Route 2002 (2002-08-25) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
Notting Hill Carnival Route 2002
People arrive and leave through key stations that serve the Carnival area and there are often station closures for crowd control measures
Travelling to the Notting Hill Carnival (2002-08-20) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
It's crucial to effectively communicate to the public what constraints may be in place. This communication can take the form of maps, leaflets, radio adverts, TV adverts, and posters directing people to the TfL website
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant Guide to the Day and Pedestrian Map (2012-06-02) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
2012 Diamond Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II was only the second monarch in history to reach this milestone. The focus of the celebrations was London, with the Thames Diamond Jubilee River Pageant a major event on the 3 June 2012. All 8 of TfL’s piers were involved
The scope of transport operations for the London 2012 Games was the most demanding the transport network has ever had to meet: 34 venues, 10,500 athletes, 8.8 million ticketed spectators and 22,000 media. For the Paralympics this was 20 venues, more than 4,000 athletes, 2.7 million ticketed spectators. Delivering the operation required a unique adaptation to existing networks and services. And as 24 competition venues and 2/3 spectators were based in London, much of this duty fell to TfL.
London Summer 2012 Map (2012-07-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Summer 2012 Map
Locations of main rail and Underground stations, city celebration sites, discovery trails, National Olympic Houses, visitor information sites, London 2012 venues, Olympic Museum, 2012 shop and road event routes, were all displayed on a single map
London Summer 2012 Map (2012-07-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Summer 2012 Maps
Includes map of key bus routes in Central London, and basic map of East London showing Olympic venues and main transport hubs
To celebrate the fact that sightseeing was possible again after the Covid-19 pandemic, in October 2021 TfL produced a range of new culture maps to showcase interesting activities and places to visit across London using the network
TfL also likes to collaborate with others to use the iconic tube map to celebrate the achievements of Londoners, sporting stars, cultural figures, and more.
City of Women Tube Map (2022-03-08)TfL Corporate Archives
Eager for more celebrations? Why not discover our story about Transport for London's Role in Coronations?
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
This story has been enhanced using images from the collections of the London Transport Museum. All enquiries regarding those images should be made directly to that institution.
