British Cartographic Society
Mapping+Excellence+Community
The BCS promotes the art & science of mapmaking and all aspects of cartography to a wide audience.
Winter Lecture 11th Dec
GeoFutures questionnaire during December
GeoFutures 25th March 2026
- #MapMonday On this day in 1349, it was reported that 200 people per day were being buried in London, as a result of the Black Death. This map from kids.britannica.com/students/ass... shows the spread across Europe…
- This month's Teatime Talk speaker is Adrian Dähler, Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. Adrian's talk will provide a brief overview of terrain representation on the Swiss national maps. Members will receive a link to book via email.
- #MapMonday On this day in 1924, American skater Charles Jewtraw claimed the first ever Winter Olympic gold medal; winning the 500m speed skating event in 44.0s at the Chamonix Games in France. This map from landgeist.com/2021/07/22/o... shows Olympic Games host cities up to 2020 🥇
- #MapMonday On this day in 1946, American country singer-songwriter ("Jolene"; "I Will Always Love You", "9 to 5"), Dolly Parton was born in Tennessee. This Dolly Parton lyrical offering from www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1... truly exhibits the joys of map-making! #HappyBirthdayDolly 🎂
- #MapMonday On this day in 1899, a Lynmouth Lifeboat rescued 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon. The station closed in 1944, but the RNLI currently have 238 lifeboat stations, as shown. Source: hub.arcgis.com/datasets/RNL...
- #MapMonday On this day in 2016, 15 year old Pranav Dhanawade, a Mumbai schoolboy, became the first batsman to ever score 1000 runs in a single innings in cricket, finishing 1009 not out. This map from www.cosmographics.co.uk/product/worl... shows major cricket stadiums around the world
- We would like to wish all our members and followers a very Happy New Year. Thank you for supporting the society in 2025. We look forward to showcasing even more geospatial data, maps, visualisations and cartography in 2026! We’d love to know if you got any mappy gifts over the festive period 🎁🗺️
- #MapMonday On this day in 1965, the fourth James Bond film starring Sean Connery (Thunderball) premiered in Tokyo, Japan. This map cartoon by Paul Cemmick shows Bond filming locations. Source: www.armenpogharian.com/map-monday-o... 📽️ What’s your favourite Bond film?
- #MapMonday On this day in 1965, Great Britain set the national maximum road speed at 70 miles per hour. This map from mappinglondon.co.uk/2017/speed-l... and Transport for London shows speed limits for roads around London…
- #MapMonday On this day in 1929, Swiss pilot, aviation pioneer and photographer, Walter Mittelholzer, was the first person to fly over Mount Kilimanjaro. This map from www.daigletours.com/wp-content/u... shows the various elevations and routes of the area…
- Last chance to book your ticket for our Annual Winter Lecture and get CPD points too! Thursday 11th December, 7 PM to 8:15 PM online Talk title: "The exploration of the North West Passage" the fascinating stories of Dr John Rae and Sir John Franklin See link www.cartography.org.uk/winter-lecture
- A brief pause after this months council meeting to catch up and wish everyone at The BCS a Merry Christmas 🎄 Thank you to Geovation @ordnancesurvey for hosting us and to BCS President @PaulNaylor for leading a very successful year (and supplying the chocolates!) Here’s to a prosperous 2026!
- #MapMonday On this day in 1864, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, opened - a memorial to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineer and designer who had died 5 years earlier. This artwork, created by Chris Snow, shows the bridge on a 1950s Ordnance Survey map mapsanddiagrams.co.uk/products/bri...
- Bookings still open for our Annual Winter Lecture and get CPD points too! Thursday 11th Dec, 7 PM to 8:15 PM online Talk title: "The exploration of the North West Passage" the fascinating stories of Dr John Rae and Sir John Franklin Speakers: Fiona Gould and Eugene Rae See link lnkd.in/ekxge-WK
- Thank you to Caroline Gomm from HarperCollins who presented the Collins Bartholomew award, and to Jim Goldsmith, BCS Awards officer, who presented the Stanfords award. Our BCS President Paul Naylor then presented the overall “Best of the Best” BCS Award to the recipients.
- Behind the scenes at the BCS Awards in Person Presentation at the Bodleian library for Stanfords, Collins Bartholomew, and the overall BCS Award. Winning entry is the Atlas of Finance! Congratulations to all involved
- Bookings still open for our Annual Winter Lecture Thursday 11th December, 7 PM to 8:15 PM online Talk title: "The exploration of the North West Passage" the fascinating stories of Dr John Rae and Sir John Franklin See link for further details and link to register for online access lnkd.in/ekxge-WK
- #MapMonday On this day in 1990, British and French workers met in the middle of the Channel Tunnel - a major engineering achievement! The tunnel officially opened in 1994, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024. www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/68...
- #MapMonday On this day in 1434, the River Thames froze over! The freeze lasted until February 10th 1435. Slightly more recent, but we love the detail in this 1939 River Thames Wharf Chart covering Barking Creek to Hole Haven 😍 www.themaphouse.com/artworks/247...
- Don’t forget tonight’s talk! Teatime Talk for members titled “Surveying High Speed 2” Date: 20 Nov 2025 Time: 7 PM GMT (start logging in from 6:45) Please see your members email to sign up via Eventbrite, or go to our website to join as a member and get access - see link in bio or lnkd.in/eUJpr6B
- Help spark the conversation… At GeoFutures 2026 The British Cartographic Society invites you to a one-day workshop on Wednesday 25th March 2026 at the historic Trinity House, London exploring the future of geospatial thinking. We’re also asking for your input… Find out more at lnkd.in/er9UY-6G
- HAPPY #GISday! Have you see the GEO100 list for 2025 yet? It is fantastic to see two of our BCS Council members on this list! Congratulations to both Paul and Clare, as well as many members! This list celebrates excellence and commitment to geospatial across the UK www.geo100.com/geo100_2025
- #MapMonday On this day in 1996, Paleoanthropologists White & Asfaw discovered the 2.5-million-year-old fossils of Australopithecus garhi, a species of early hominid, in Ethiopia. This map shows sites of early hominin and australopithecine discoveries. pressbooks.online.ucf.edu/ant2000/chap...
- Book now for Novembers online Teatime Talk for members titled “Surveying High Speed 2” Date: 20 November 2025 Time: 7 PM GMT Please see your members email to sign up via Eventbrite, or go to our website to join as a member and get access - see link in bio or www.cartography.org.uk/teatime-talks
- #MapMonday On this day in 2014, 'The Hunger Games' Mockingjay Part 1 premiered in London. We love previous BCS Award Winner Robin Wilson's British Placename Mapper (placenames.rtwilson.com). Who knew that 'Hunger' and 'Games' featured in such locations... What placenames will you look up?
- #MapMonday On this day in 1917, postage costs for 1st class US mail increased to 3 cents per ounce. 'Philately' is the term for the collection/study of postage stamps? This map, from 1979, shows dozens of international stamps and their nations of origin. Source: curtiswrightmaps.com/product/stam...
- Bookings now live for our Annual Winter Lecture Thursday 11th December, 7 PM to 8:15 PM online See link for further details and link to register for online access www.cartography.org.uk/other-events
- #MapMonday On this day in 1904, the first section of the New York subway (built by Interborough Rapid Transit) opened, running from Lower Manhattan to Broadway Harlem for a fare of one nickel. To learn more, and see the full map of the routes from 1908, see blogs.loc.gov/maps/2022/05...
- Help spark the conversation at GeoFutures 2026. The British Cartographic Society invites you to a one-day workshop on 25th March 2026 at the historic Trinity House, London exploring the future of geospatial thinking. Register for pre-event questionnaire now. More www.cartography.org.uk/geofutures
- #MapMonday On this day in 1728, the Great Fire of Copenhagen broke out at the Vesterport (the West Gate). It lasted for 3 days, and destroyed about one third of the city. The map, produced by Joachim Hassing, shows the burned areas marked in yellow. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenha...
- 👋🏻 Hey Students! We get it, navigating career decisions in the cartographic sphere can be tricky. But we've got you... We're hosting an online Careers Talk, FREE for Student Members, feat. inspiring talks from 4 cartographic professionals (including the brilliant Hannah!). Check your inbox to sign-up
- #MapMonday On this day in 1963, the term "Beatlemania" was coined after The Beatles appeared at the London Palladium. We love the intricate building detail in artist Eve Leoni’s West End theatre map - can you spot the London Palladium? www.eveleoniart.com/products/wes...
- Please save the date for our 2025 Winter Lecture!! Thursday 11th Dec, 7 PM to 8:15 PM online Talk: "The exploration of the North West Passage" the fascinating stories of Dr John Rae and Sir John Franklin Speakers from the John Rae Society and Royal Geographical Society. Further details to follow.
- Mark your diary and join us for October’s online Teatime Talk for members. Join us for “Producing an Orienteering Map” with speaker - David Peel Date: 16 October 2025 Time: 6:45 PM for 7 PM start, London See link in bio to become a member or your emails for the Eventbrite link lnkd.in/eGVnqV5
- #MapMonday On this day in 1987, George Michael released his "Faith" single, which went on to be Billboard Song of Year, 1988. Here’s "Freedom George" created using OS maps, by artist Amelia Archer. Source: www.reedsartandframing.co.uk/products/fre...
- Check out this year’s survey from Alliance of Freelance Cartographers about rates and business practices. Is it something freelance cartographers in the UK find useful? 2025 Freelance Rate Survey Results www.freelancemaps.org/annual-surve... #network #freelance #community #cartography #maps
- 🎉We're delighted to have reached 100 Student Members of the BCS! 💯 We've got our Careers Talk for Student Members coming up on the 21st October. It's not too late to sign up for the event (check your inbox once signed up!), or even join as a Student Member for free! www.cartography.org.uk/join-us
- Calling all BCS Student Members... look out for the email sign-up link for our Careers Talk We're so excited to introduce one of our speakers... 💬Hi everyone. My name is Balqis & I'm a GIS Consultant at Esri UK. I am excited to share my career journey so far & hope it will help you in your futures💬
- #MapMonday On this day in 1996, the Nintendo 64 video game system debuted in the USA (3 months after Japan). Super Mario goes hand-in-hand with Nintendo, so it's fitting to share this world map - Mario Style! x.com/FunStockGame... "It's-a me, Mario!"
- Book now for Octobers online Teatime Talk for members. David Peel is the owner of Peel Land Surveys, a company who’ve been making maps for over 20 years. Date: 16 Oct 2025 Time: 7pm GMT Please see your members email to sign up via Eventbrite, or see our website to become a member lnkd.in/eGVnqV5
- BCS Fellows are invited to an event on Monday 13th October at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford from 10.00am to 5.00pm Hosted by Dr Bryn Hammond (Principal Curator, Collections) this visit is an opportunity to learn about the collection from experts. If you are a BCS Fellow please enquire
- #MapMonday On this day in 1976, TV drama Charlie's Angels, starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson & Jaclyn Smith debuted. Continuing the theme of Charlie's angels - it's the title of this amazing map artwork by Matthew Cusick (www.mattcusick.com/portfolio/ma...)
- Come join us online on Tuesday 23rd Sept to hear from BCS Council member Clare Seldon as she joins other professionals in this new series of talks from Royal Geographical Society. All welcome, free sign up via the RGS website www.rgs.org/events/ #network #CPD #careers #maps #professional
- Call for applications - The J.B. Harley Research Fellowships in the History of Cartography Awards range up to £2000. The closing date for applications is 1st NOVEMBER. Apply here: www.maphistory.info/harley.html Please forward to others who might be interested.
- We're so excited to introduce one of our speakers for the BCS Student Members Careers Talk... 💬My career has spanned the transition from conventional to digital cartographic methods, the development of the internet & I look forward to sharing some of the experiences & tips I've gained along the way💬
- We are delighted to announce that the British Cartographic Society has been selected as a nominee in the biz4biz awards in the Best Social Media category. Thank you to everyone who supported us in the public vote to make it to the shortlist. www.biz4Biz.org #biz4biz #awards #socialmedia #maps
- #MapMonday On this day in 1830, the Duke of Wellington opened George Stephenson's Liverpool and Manchester Railway. This is a plan of the proposed route of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway created by George Stephenson (dated 1824). Source: www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/objects-and-...
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- Thank you to all entrants to this years BCS Awards 2025. Each of the winners from the printed, electronic, 3D and thematic categories go head-to-head to find the Best Map of 2025! Congratulations to our Best of BCS Award winner for 2025 - Dariusz Wójcik and team, for their entry “Atlas of Finance”
- Thank you to @OrdnanceSurvey for their support in sponsoring and judging the best student map award 2025. Congratulations to our winner for 2025 - Atlas Guo and Winona Liu for their entry “Our spatial memories of the United States”
- Thank you to @OrdnanceSurvey for their support in sponsoring and judging the best student map award 2025. Congratulations to the three runners up in this category: Matthew Young, and Highly Commended entries from both Hannah Ismail, and Chenlei Jiang.
