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    9 Wonderful Details From A Hundred-Year-Old Map Of The London Underground

    100 years ago a designer reimagined the London Underground map, with spectacular results.

    A century ago the London Underground was considered dreary and uninviting. In 1913 designer Max Gill was commissioned to brighten up the stations - the Wonderground Map of London Town was born.

    The poster map draws inspiration from 16th and 17th century cartography, with added humour and topical jokes. Highlights include a living River Serpentine and a snake winding its way through Hyde Park.

    It took Gill seven months to complete the Underground map. In his diary of 9 March 1914 he wrote: "Worked on last of the London map all day - doing colouring till 3am Tuesday - until I completed it. (Began August 1913)".

    We've picked out our favourite snippets that prove Gill's poster should be the official tube map.

    1. There's a cat in Highgate called 'Bimbo'.

    2. There's a giraffe in London Zoo, who is depressed despite being offered a bun.

    3. Old Street features a headless horseman and a man sticking his tongue out (on the toilet?).

    4. There's a pilot who really shouldn't be flying.

    5. There's a pessimistic man on Malvern Road.

    6. Someone in the map has discovered the map itself - so Inception.

    7. "What is work? Is it a herb?" - the stupidly rich still existed in Notting Hill Gate 100 years ago.

    8. There's a work-shy gentleman on Pancras Road.

    9. A child being eaten in Regent's Park is more concerned about teatime.

    The Wonderground Map of London Town 1914 is available to buy from the London Transport Museum gift shop.