For the Love of Maps

Long before I turned into a professional train geek, I was a map fetishist. While it was not in my top three reasons for joining the Underground, I would be lying if I were to say that the fact LU is world famous for a particularly cool map was not something I considered when weighing up whether to take the job.

A fantastic series has just finished on BBC Four exploring the history of maps in such an impressive way that for the first time in years, I can honestly say that I am pleased I paid my TV License. Timed to coincide with a new exhibition at the British Library entitled “Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art”, the series spanned centuries of mapmaking from ancient cartographers to satirical artists seeking to spoof and lampoon political figures and the decisions they made.

To my eternal shame, I did not actually realise that the British Library has such an extensive map archive – their collection runs to over four and a half million items of mappiness which for me seems like the closest Earthly thing to Heaven. Included in that vast collection is the first ever “Atlas”, the name coined for his book of maps by Gerard Mercator, creator of the Mercator Projection; a later atlas gifted to Charles II which when stood on end is taller than most men; and some fantastic specimens of maps charting the history of London including the famous Morgan map of 1682, which you would know to look at even if the name means nothing to you.

The exhibition is at the British Library until September, so plenty of time to get down there and see it yourself, which is what I shall be doing in the not too distant future. In the mean time, the final two episodes of BBC Four’s great series are still on iPlayer for another six days, and can be found here. Take my advice and treat yourself to an hour or so of televisual, maptastic bliss.