How did a simple idea transform London’s busy underground trains into moving galleries of verse? In January 1986, three visionaries launched a project at Aldwych station that would change the commuting experience for millions. Judith Chernaik, Gerard Benson, and Cicely Herbert created Poems on the Underground, placing poetry amid advertisements to bring literature to the masses.
In the crowded chaos of London’s Tube, three dreamers planted poetry among advertisements—a literary rebellion transforming daily commutes forever.
The first posters featured works by Seamus Heaney, Grace Nichols, William Carlos Williams, Robert Burns, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. These initial selections set the tone for a program that would eventually include over 500 poems from both classic and contemporary writers. Philip Larkin’s “The Trees” also appeared in that first year, beginning a tradition that continues today.
The project reaches an estimated 4.2 million daily Tube travelers, displaying new poems three times yearly on trains and websites. During the 30th anniversary in 2016, the original five poems were re-displayed until late February, and a special event at Aldwych station brought together poets David Constantine, Fleur Adcock, Imtiaz Dharker, Cicely Herbert, and Catherine Heaney.
Current selectors include founder Judith Chernaik alongside poets Imtiaz Dharker and George Szirtes, with Tom Davidson designing the distinctive posters. The program receives support from Transport for London, Arts Council England, and the British Council, ensuring its continued operation. The initiative was originally supported by the Stefan Zweig programme of the British Library when it launched in 1986.
The initiative has inspired similar programs worldwide, with cities like Dublin, New York, Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Shanghai adopting the concept. The complete archive, including posters, memorabilia, and letters from poets, now resides in Cambridge University Library. The collection features a notable 1985 letter from Philip Larkin expressing enthusiasm for the project before its official launch.
Travelers can purchase posters at the London Transport Museum or collect free leaflets distributed at Central London stations. Several anthologies have been published, including “Poems on the Underground” (Penguin, 2015), which contains more than 200 featured poems. The project continues to evolve alongside TfL’s Art on the Underground program, bringing poetry to new generations of commuters.
