Poems on the Underground

Six million daily travellers on London's Underground will be familiar with Poems on the Underground, a highly regarded feature of the UK contemporary Literature sector that displays posters of UK and international poetry across London's transport system. The poems quickly captivated the hearts of commuters and they have become a fixture of the Underground.

From its inception, the British Council has played a crucial role in supporting Poems on the Underground, by grant giving and distributing posters to our offices globally. This has inspired similar initiatives in cities such as Dublin, Paris, New York, Oslo, Helsinki, Warsaw and Beijing – introducing global audiences to poetry old and new, familiar and unfamiliar into their daily lives. The Poems on the Underground model is one which continues to inspire replicas internationally, enabling further connection between the UK and overseas.