Everyone loves a good Tube map – so much so that the government included one in the revamped UK passport designs it released yesterday.
And yet, mere moments after images were released by the Home Office, people were already taking to social media to point out some odd mistakes.
The good people at the London SE1 website noted, with bafflement, that Southwark station had not been deemed worthy of inclusion. What’s more, the government seems to be unaware of the existence of today’s London Overground, believing instead that the East London Line (as was) still terminates at New Cross Gate.
A second map, which shows the streets and railway lines of inner south London, seems a bit hit and miss as to what it shows. It includes DLR stations and mainline ones, but not Tube or Overground ones, except, for some reason, Surrey Quays. It also made another mistake which is just weird:
London Bridge Station seems to be on the wrong side of Tooley Street on this map in the new UK passport pic.twitter.com/2l1Og9wNeb
— London SE1 (@se1) November 3, 2015
(Queen’s Road Peckham is in the wrong place too, incidentally.)
Along with landmarks from around the country, the 34-page passport includes images of British historical figures. But it has attracted criticism because of features just two women, compared to seven men.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office said: “Not only are we constantly striving to stay one step ahead of those who seek to undermine the passport, but we have created a document that marks just some of the greatest creative achievements in the UK.” Which wasn’t quite as convincing a response as they seemed to think.
It’s possible, of course, the apparent cartographical errors were included deliberately, serving as an anti-fraud device. Surely Southwark’s omission can’t be anything to do with its perceived importance?
You can find out more about the new designs here.
