‘Bond Street’ renamed ‘Burberry Street’ – what were TfL thinking?

The London Underground network has never been known for its simplicity. Where Paris, Madrid New York and Shanghai give their metro lines numbers or letters, somewhere down the line the powers that be here in London opted to christen ours with actual names. These monikers range from the logical (the circle line), to the meaningless (the Metropolitan line), through to the downright whimsical (the Elizabeth and Victoria lines).

Most Londoners rather like this charming quirk; after all, what’s the harm in honouring a beloved late Queen on your morning commute? The downside, of course, is that it makes life that bit trickier for non-Londoners trying to navigate what is already a labyrinthine system.

Not that the bosses at Transport for London (TfL) seem to care. Rather than doing what they can to make the network more accessible to those who don’t live in the city, they’ve been busy making absolutely sure that visitors are as confused as possible. As part of an ad campaign for London fashion week, Bond Street station in central London was temporarily rebranded as “Burberry Street”. This “makeover”, as the fashion magazines are euphemistically calling it, is so complete that for the start of the week the actual name of the station was entirely erased.

Cue: utter chaos. On the Jubilee line, I was asked by a worried looking older gentleman when he should get out for Bond Street, three stops after we’d passed Bond Street station. And from the gaggles of baffled looking tourists I’ve spotted a few times on nearby station platforms he certainly isn’t the only one who was caught out.

Now, I’m all for TfL doing the odd brand deal. The underground network still isn’t back on its feet since the pandemic and if they can find a few clever ways to bring in cash, it might stop our fares sky-rocketing again. But “Burberry Street” is a step too far.

Transport for London is a government body that provides a vital public service, and under no circumstances should money-making brand deals come at the expense of customers – especially when those customers are paying through the nose for the privilege of snuggling under a stranger’s armpit at 7am. To add insult to injury, it doesn’t even feel as though much care has gone into this “makeover”. Unlike the Barbie movie’s rebranding of ‘Barbie’can, or Southgate station turning into Gareth Southgate station after England’s cracking performance in the euros, “Burberry Street” is both clunky and utterly devoid of wit.

And it cheapens London’s rich history. Bond Street may be the “home of Burberry”, but it’s much, much more besides. At one point in its chequered past, for instance, the street was best known for top-end art dealers and antique shops that were clustered around the London office of Sotheby’s auction house, which has been at Nos. 34–35 Bond Street since 1917.

The sculpture over the entrance to Sotheby’s is from Ancient Egypt and is believed to date from around 1600 BC. The iconic street has also been mentioned in several important works of British literature including Mrs Dalloway and Sense and Sensibility. Surely these fascinating little nuggets of history capture the essence of the street far more than a flagship designer store.

If TfL wants to make a little cash on the side – and pass the savings onto customers – I have no problem with that. The announcement on the Bakerloo line reminding customers they can alight for ZSL London Zoo at Regent’s Street station is entirely inoffensive (and presumably sometimes rather helpful).

But please TfL, spare us Londonders – and our visitors – from the wilder whims of your marketing teams. “Burberry Street” just doesn’t look right. Thankfully, it ends tonight. We’ve seen it, we’ve said it, now sort it.