Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers)

The Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) is the professional body for geography and the largest and most active learned societies. It promotes and supports geographical learning and teaching through research programmes, resources and professional development for schools, lectures and exhibitions and holds one of the world's largest geographical collections.

The Royal Geographical Society has Designated Collections of national importance.

All the geographical collections at the Royal Geographical Society are Designated Collections of national importance.

The collection includes cartographic material, the picture library, the library material, the archives and artefacts. These collections are essential for the study of the history of exploration, discovery, mountaineering and modern geography. They also offer a unique access point to the understanding of cultural exchange and encounter around the world.

In June 2004 the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) opened its new facilities to the public, which provide access to one of the world’s largest geographical collections containing over two million maps, photographs, books, artwork, artefacts and documents. The collection tells the story of 500 years of geographical discovery and research.

The collections include many important records from exploration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Scott’s expeditions to Antarctica, to David Livingstone's in Africa. Other treasures in the collections include some of the earliest photographs of Africa, Asian and the Caribbean, and the first Arabian photographs of Mecca and Medina.

Collection details

World Cultures, Social History, Science and Technology, Photography, Natural Sciences, Archives

Key artists and exhibits

• Everest expeditions; Antarctic expedtions; David Livingstone collection; personal items formerly belonging to some of the world’s greatest explorers - from Shackleton’s helmet to H M Stanley’s boots. M C Andrews -strong in maps of British Isles, Ireland, and portolan charts; Sir H G Fordham - post-road books, maps, and itineraries especially of British Isles and of France ; G B Greenough - topographic maps of Europe etc., many annotated by him geologically. A range of some archival, reference, working, and proof copies of cartographic materials from the firms of Laurie & Whittle, G Philip, and E Stanford (incorporating Arrowsmith firm). Photographic collections - Arabia: The photographs of Captain W.H.I. Shakespear (1878-1915), Harry St John Philby (1885-1960), A. L. Holt, Gerald de Gaury and Sir George Rendel. Thomas Baines (1820-1875): Original oil paintings as well as sketches and watercolours (mainly of Africa and Australia) resident artist of the Society who accompanied David Livingstone on his 1858 expedition to the Zambezi. Samuel White Baker (1821-1893): Watercolour sketches of his expedition to locate the source of the Nile. Central Asia & Tibet: photographs by Jean Claude White, official photographer of the Younghusband Mission to Tibet in 1904, Douglas Carruthers (1882-1962) and portraits by the British botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958).
• Designated Collection