British Library Map Collection

British Library Map Collection
Name	British Library Map Collection
Country	United Kingdom
Established	1753
Location	London
Collection size	over 4 million maps and 100,000 atlases
Items collected	printed maps, manuscript maps, globes, atlases, charts

British Library Map Collection The British Library Map Collection is a major cartographic repository housed in London, holding one of the world’s largest assemblies of printed and manuscript maps, atlases, charts and globes. The Collection supports scholarship on exploration, cartography, navigation, empire, and colonialism, with materials spanning medieval portolan charts to twentieth-century topographic mapping. It underpins research on figures and events such as James Cook, Abraham Ortelius, Gerardus Mercator, Hudson's Bay Company, Royal Geographical Society, and Antarctic exploration.

History and development

The Collection originated from the library of British Museum after the foundation of that institution under the British Museum Act 1753 and expanded through acquisitions from collectors such as Sir Robert Cotton, Hans Sloane, and Thomas Phillips. It grew with purchases and donations tied to imperial institutions including the East India Company, the Admiralty, and the Ordnance Survey, reflecting cartographic responses to events like the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Scramble for Africa. Nineteenth-century developments were shaped by figures such as John Walker and collaborations with the Royal Society and Royal Geographical Society, while twentieth-century growth included maps from the First World War, the Second World War, and Cold War-era cartography produced by agencies like the Geographical Section, General Staff and the United States Geological Survey. The Collection’s transfer into the modern British Library followed the library’s establishment under the British Library Act 1972.

Holdings and notable maps

The holdings encompass over four million cartographic items: printed maps by Gerard Mercator, Abraham Ortelius, Willem Janszoon Blaeu, and Joan Blaeu; manuscript portolan charts tied to Catalan Atlas traditions; and exploratory charts from James Cook and Ferdinand Magellan. Notable single items include early editions of Ptolemy's Geography, the Mercator world map, rare atlases like the Atlas Maior, manuscript maps from John Ogilby and William Roy, and military topographic sheets from the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain. The Collection holds extensive colonial-era mapping from the India Office Records, charts of Antarctica linked to James Clark Ross, Pacific mapping related to Captain Cook, and Arctic cartography associated with John Franklin and Roald Amundsen. Maritime charts by the Hydrographic Office and early surveying plans for cities such as London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Calcutta form major research strengths. The Map Collection also preserves thematic series tied to subjects like geological mapping by William Smith, railway mapping from the Great Western Railway, and nineteenth-century urban plans compiled during the Industrial Revolution.

Cataloguing and digitisation

Cataloguing has evolved from hand-written registers to computerised bibliographic records integrated with the British Library catalogue and linked-data initiatives aligning with standards used by institutions such as the Library of Congress and the National Library of Scotland. Digitisation projects have prioritised high-value items including the Gough Map, estate maps associated with Enclosure Acts, coastal charts by the Admiralty Hydrographic Office, and colonial atlases from the India Office Library. Collaboration with partners like the European Space Agency for georeferencing, the Wellcome Trust for thematic mapping projects, and the Jisc digital infrastructure programme has allowed online access to high-resolution scans and searchable metadata. Ongoing projects use GIS tools common to the Natural Environment Research Council community and link digitised maps to datasets from institutions such as the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Access, reading rooms and services

Access is provided through dedicated map reading rooms and enquiry services at the main site in St Pancras, London, with regulated handling procedures similar to those used by the National Archives and other major research libraries. Readers consult catalogues referencing records in the Sainsbury Library and use specialist staff trained in map librarianship drawn from networks with the Scottish Map Library and the National Library of Scotland. Services include reproduction and licensing for publishers and broadcasters, outreach to academic institutions like University College London, King's College London, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, and tailored support for projects linked to exhibitions at venues such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and Museum of London.

Conservation and preservation

Conservation employs techniques consistent with practices at the Victoria and Albert Museum Conservation Department and the National Archives Conservation Centre, including paper repair, humidification, deacidification, and controlled storage environments calibrated to standards promoted by ICOM-CC and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Large-format maps and globes receive bespoke housing, map chest storage and climate control to mitigate risks demonstrated by historic disasters such as the Great Fire of London and wartime bombing of cultural repositories. Conservation priorities include treatment of iron gall ink corrosion evidenced on maps related to the English Civil War and preventative measures against light damage for hand-coloured atlases like works by John Speed.

Research, exhibitions and outreach

The Collection underpins scholarship on cartographic history, imperial studies, maritime history, urbanism, and environmental change, supporting researchers from institutions including the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics. Exhibitions have showcased maps in thematic displays linked to events such as anniversaries of Cook's voyages, centenaries of the First World War, and studies of colonial mapping practices in partnership with museums like the British Museum and the National Maritime Museum. Outreach includes public lectures, digitisation collaborations with the Internet Archive and scholarly publishing with presses such as Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press, and educational programmes developed with schools and community groups supported by funding bodies like the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Category:Map collections