Who Invented London's A-Z Street Map?

Phyllis Pearsall was Inventor of A-Z London Street Guide

Apr 26, 2009

The London A-Z street map is an essential item for every tourist and inhabitant of this vast city. Few people know about Phyllis Pearsall, the woman who invented it.

Born in 1906 in London to an artist mother and Hungarian map-maker father, Phyllis Pearsall made a precarious living painting portraits. In September 1935, she went to dinner at the home of a client. After a nightmare journey across rain-swept London, Phyllis arrived at her destination, dripping dejectedly.

Inspired by her soggy appearance other guests described their frustrations whilst travelling across London. At that moment the idea for the A-Z street map of London was born.

The Origins of the London A-Z Street Map

Armed with pencil and notebook, Phyllis went onto the streets at five every morning, devoting all her time and energy to this new project. She received furtive glances from policemen and passers-by. What was a woman doing alone on the streets at this hour? Unperturbed, Phyllis entered into the rhythm of the great city, walking the streets alone, entering workmen's cafes for breakfast, exploring dark alleys and, late at night, hurrying past lively public houses.

Walking 3,000 miles, Phyllis mapped out every street and alleyway in London, including house numbers. She was a female amateur in the conservative male world of cartography.

The success of the London A-Z did not come overnight. After hiring a draughtsman, checking out any new development plans and creating an index to the streets of London, she then had to sell her idea. Phyllis became a sales representative, standing in line with dozens of men waiting to be seen by buyers at prestigious London outlets. She was rejected but through great resilience eventually found an opening through W H Smith & Son.

But how to deliver her A-Z to all those hungry London retail outlets? She couldn't afford to hire a van. Undeterred, Phyllis took to the streets again, pulling a cart borrowed from her local pub. She personally delivered her A-Z bundles to railway stations at Victoria, Kings Cross, Marylebone, Euston and Waterloo, rising at four o'clock in the morning. Phyllis never took any credit for her indomitable spirit. She just got on with it.

The Geographer's A-Z Map Co. Ltd.

The ultimate success of the London A-Z saw the formation of The Geographers' A-Z Map Co. Ltd. based in Kent. Phyllis was a considerate employer and was keen to take on young people, offering them apprenticeships in the map-making trade, allowing their talents to flourish and making it possible for them to make great strides within the company. Many have been with her company for over forty years. She embraced modern computer technology with enthusiasm.

Phyllis died on 28th August 1996, one month from her ninetieth birthday. As befits the inventor of the phenomenally successful London A-Z street map, her ashes are buried beneath a tree outside her A-Z offices. At that point her A-Z had sold millions of copies. Phyllis Pearsall, MBE, was truly a lady with genuine street cred!

The copyright of the article Who Invented London's A-Z Street Map? in Inventors is owned by Kathleen Duffy. Permission to republish Who Invented London's A-Z Street Map? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.