What is the Roundel?

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You may not of heard of the Roundel, but you’ve probably seen it before!

It’s that circle logo with a bar across that’s seen on tubes, trains and buses, on stations and bus stops, and even staff uniforms all over London.

Who gave us the Roundel?

It was a man called Frank Pick.

Frank was the Chief Executive of London Transport back in the early 1900s and was in charge of lots of important things to do with the London Transport system.

He was the person who first commissioned the Roundel.

When did London Transport first get the Roundel?

The roundel first appeared on Underground station platforms in 1908. The bar and circle, as it became known, comprised a solid red enamel disc and horizontal blue bar.

These early roundels were introduced as station nameboards.

When did we get the Roundel we know now? Without the solid red circle?

It was around 1917 when the Roundel was reworked to fit in with the new font being used.

This is when the solid red circle became a ring.

What different designs are there now?

Take a look for yourself…

Want to know more?

London Transport Museum have loads of cool stuff you can check out.

Click here to visit their website.

This educational series is made with support from London Transport Museum

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