Maxwell in Southwark is 41-50 and is a University Lecturer .
Growing up in South London, Max never really had access to the London Underground but still became fascinated by the tube map. Now a university lecturer, Max has a passion for “Human Factors” which has led him to create a series of unique redesigns of the London Underground Tube Map. He explores how different angles and design techniques can reshape our understanding of the city and how we get around.
One such map even went viral a few years ago, as Max redesigned the Underground Map into concentric circles. What started off as a “cartographic joke” was to take the internet by storm!
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Film Maker: Reece Lipman
Questions & Answers
- What's your first memory of London? I remember coming into London when I was really young. It was when they were changing the trains in South London from green to blue. I always loved the green trains so I’ve got a very vivid memory of that.
- What do you miss when you're away from London? There’s so much to miss; The River, South London. Actually, this doesn’t really answer the question but I really miss the Routemaster buses… Also things like walking around on a warm spring evening, going into all of the different pubs.
- What's your favourite neighbourhood? Dulwich. I grew up there.
- What's your favourite building? St Pancras Station. I went to university in Nottingham so I always had to go through it on my way up to uni. I always preferred it when it was run down though, not the big shopping centre it is now.
- What's your ideal day out in London? Going with friends from pub to pub
- What's your ideal night out in London? Same as my day out, though I don’t do many nights out in London anymore
- What's your most hated building? Centre Point! Someone once said that it “sucks the life out the area and gives nothing back.” I also don’t like all the Urban Motorways, Vauxhall, Aldgate. Those big horrible multi-lane roads.
- What's the best view in London? I was in Dulwich recently (I hadn’t been back in ages) and I sat at the top of the bus which I don’t normally do. It’s really green around there and through the trees you can see The Walky Talky and the Gerkin. That was lovely as it made you realise how close you are to everything.
- What's your favourite open space? Crystal Palace Park and the Concert Bowl
- What's your favourite bar, pub or restaurant? The Black Friar, near Blackfriars station
- What's been your most memorable night out in London? I gave a talk at the Design Museum one evening to 150 people, all enthused about seeing my work. That was very memorable.
- How would you like to spend your ideal day off in London? If I could do anything I'd find someone with a preserved Routemaster bus and get them to drive me around all of the old bus routes. We'd stop and take pictures, it would be great. I'm a bit of a transport enthusiast :)
- Where would you take someone visiting from out of town? All the famous parts of course. And also on a boat trip to Greenwich and back, down the river.
- What's the worst journey you've had to make in London? I always regretted going on the North London lines, it was slow and miserable. One day actually I was coming back from visiting my Dad in Amersham and we had to get a rail replacement bus. So instead of whizzing through London we were crammed onto this horrible bus, driving slowly around Harlesden and Wilsden, these grim London suburbs. That wasn't much fun.
- What's your personal London landmark? The Crystal Palace Mast - It's London's Eiffel Tower
- Who's your favourite fictional Londoner? Sherlock Holmes
- What's your favourite London film, book or documentary? This old spy show from the 60s called Man in a Suitcase. It had some brilliant shots of London in it.
- If you could travel to any time period in London, past or future, where would you go? I'd like to go 200 years into the future to see if we still have the Underground. But actually, I'd love to see 1952, when the last trams were in operation.
- For you, who is the ultimate Londoner? Christopher Wren, Gilbert Scott, they designed lots of London. And Michael Caine (I was born in East Dulwich hospital so he's local).