Steel and rhyme, Still on time: 40 years of Poems on the Underground

"The first Poems on the Underground appeared in tube trains in February 1986, with poems by Robert Burns and Percy Shelley dwelling on city life, and 40 years later, it's still running, with a new set of poems about to go on display. The whole idea of using space on the tube adverts to display poems came from New York born, London resident writer and lecturer, Judith Chernaik, who had a "passion for London and a passion for English poetry"."

"She proposed the Poems on the Underground to the Compton Poetry Fund, and after securing funding, the first 1,000 posters appeared in trains on 1st February 1986. It was noted by a London Transport spokesperson at the time that the posters would have graffiti-proof plastic covers to prevent people from adding their own verses to the poems. Which doesn't seem to have been a significant problem, as the graffiti artists seem to like poetry, so maybe covering tube trains in poems might help reduce that problem."

"Judith Chernaik, Founder, Poems on the Underground, said: "We start the new year - our 40th - with poems of widely different times and places, all offering hope for better times as Winter gives way to Spring." In addition, the latest set of poems will feature contemporary British poets Rachel Boast, Jonathan Davidson, and Blake Morrison. It also features a haiku by Kobayashi Issa with original calligraphy by Yukki Yaura, and verses by the Romanian poet Mircea Dinescu and the American Jane Hirshfield."

Poems on the Underground began in February 1986 with posters featuring Robert Burns and Percy Shelley that dwelt on city life. Judith Chernaik conceived the project, secured Compton Poetry Fund support, and launched the first 1,000 posters on 1 February 1986. London Transport fitted the posters with graffiti-proof plastic covers. The initiative has expanded steadily and will mark its 40th year with a revised '100 Poems on the Underground' edition and a year of poetry events. The new selection includes contemporary British and international poets and will appear at five selected stations.

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