Poster; Underground update no. 1, by Frank Dickens, 1985
Main details
| Reference number | 1995/637 |
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| Description | While some London Transport (L.T.) posters are commissioned works of art, others are more functional. This poster, in the style of a tabloid newspaper front page, was used to inform Underground users of modernisation work in progress. It was designed by Frank Dickens in 1985. At the time, London Underground was refurbishing many of its oldest stations. Projects included commissioning artists to design murals to improve the appearance of platforms. Frank Dickens is a self-taught artist best known for his cartoon strip character Bristow. The character appeared in the Evening Standard from 1962 and on L.T. posters. A Bristow cartoon is in the bottom right corner of this poster. |
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| Dates | 1985 |
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| Print code | 1085/14488/800 (2 chgs) 200 F/E |
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| Topics | |
| Completeness | 80% |
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Physical description
Dimensions Attribute Value Height 1524mmWidth 1016mmDescriptive size Four sheetItem content Attribute Value Object title Underground update no. 1Text Underground update no. 1 / The builders are in - at over 60 stations. Some of the busiest stations have hardly altered since they were built 80 years ago, and they're showing their age. So the hoardings are up, as platforms, ticket halls, subways, escalators and lifts are rejuvenated. It takes time and means some inconvenience for everyone. But at the end stations will be far more pleasant. / Doing up the Dilly. An eyeful of bold colourful ceramic tiles will greet you on the platforms at Piccadilly Circus Station where the face-lift will match the redevelopment going on above at the 'Hub of the Empire'. The ticket hall is being stylishly restored with wider subways and a new ticket office. / Anyone for Trellis? The update of Sloane Square Station will soon be complete, as the platform walls get a fresh new look on the theme of a garden terrace. / A new marble arch for Marble Arch. Colourful styalized representations of Marble Arch will cheer up the platforms here, together with a brighter, more spaceous ticket hall. / Showbiz in Theatreland. A frieze of film sprocket holes and brilliant panels around the passage entrances is nearing completion on the platforms at Leicester Square Station, appropriately enough for filmland's centre. new flooring, signs and seating will compete the picture. / Queen Victoria would have approved. Bayswater Station is now looking as pristine as the day it opened in 1868, with the hoardings removed and 117 years of grime cleaned off its elegant brickwork. / and one to avoid! At Covent Garden there is only a very limited lift service, while the 77-year old lifts are being replaced. This means delays and congestion. Using nearby Leicester Square or Holborn, will probably save you time. / Towards Tomorrow's Underground / "I dreamt I dwelt in Marble Halls" -
People involved
Role Person(s) involved Artist Frank Dickens, 1985Publisher London Underground Ltd, 1985