London waterways sound map

Thanks to Laura Willoughby for introducing me to the London Sound Survey and their Harry Beck inspired map of London's waterways.

Happy 150th London Underground

The world's oldest subway system is 150 today.  And despite it being immensly overcrowded at times (and expensive) it still takes millions of Londoners in and out of the capital every day pretty efficiently.

The Underground's Harry Beck, of course responsible for the iconic and much copied tube map.  This one is of the galaxy with each stop representing 1,000 light years.  More at the excellent London List alternative tube map site

Unbuilt London: a treasure trove of impossible plans

This image of a railway built on stilts in the middle of the Thames is taken from 'Unbuilt London' which is publishing a series of articles looking at the various schemes dreamt up but never implemented.

Their first article looks at the transport schemes that never happened including this mad railway scheme and an airport over the Thames at the Houses of Parliament among many bizarre others... 

A history of London telephone codes...

I occasionally see the old alpha-numeric phone numbers on old shopfronts - you know the sort of thing 'Whitehall 1212'.  So when I stumbled across this obscure website at work today (don't ask why) I thought it was too good an historical source not to publicise.  And if you can fill any of the gaps in terms of naming conventions so much the better...