William Smith, the ‘father of English geology’, is famous for creating the first geological map of a country – the ‘Map that changed the world.’ One of his famous geological maps of England and Wales now hangs in our entrance hall at Burlington House, where visitors still flock to see it. But what did he … Continue reading
Tag Archives: history
Dinosaur pop quiz
We’re pretty excited about our British Science Festival event next week, ‘Stranger than fiction? Dinosaurs, Monsters and Myths‘. Not only are we hearing from two palaeontologists, Dr Phil Manning and Dr Joanna Wright, about how they reconstruct dinosaurs, but we’ll be joined by Frame Store’s Mike Milne, the graphics brain behind Walking With Dinosaurs since … Continue reading
Dinosaurs, monsters and myths
The first dinosaur to be named was Megalosaurus in 1824, but it took another 18 years for Sir Richard Owen, at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, to suggest re-grouping the handful of antidiluvian beasts so far discovered into a single tribe of giant reptiles. Since then, dinosaurs have established … Continue reading
Shedding light on the mystery of the Library’s ‘Pilkington Glass’ chandeliers
Visitors to the Library of the Geological Society often ask about our stunning chandeliers, but up until now we’ve not been able to tell them much. It depends on who you ask – rumour has it that they are made from Pilkington Glass, while others state that in fact they were gifts from the Pilkington … Continue reading
Krakatoa revealed? Part three
I’m in Java, Indonesia, filming a documentary on the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa – read part one and part two here. We have spent the last two days filming on and around Anak Krakatau. The boat ride out from the mainland takes about three hours, and we are accompanied by dolphins and the occasional flying … Continue reading
Krakatoa revealed? Part two
I’m in Java, Indonesia, filming a documentary on the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa – read part one here. Today was a day of mixed blessings. It started well, with filming at the 4th point lighthouse destroyed originally by the 1883 tsunami and rebuilt two years later – such was the importance of the spice trade … Continue reading
Publishing maps: a cautionary tale
Visitors to the building may notice an addition to the Lower Library – a display about the fortunes and misfortunes of one the UK’s most famous geologists never to be a Fellow, William Smith. Smith’s most celebrated achievement, the first geological map of a complete country, now hangs in our entrance hall, but he didn’t … Continue reading
Sedimentary my dear Watson?
During the last month or so, I’ve been cataloguing the ‘Merriman Collection’ (ref: LDGSL/1088) from our archives. The collection of 412 glass lantern slides, primarily dating from 1880s-1910s, was donated to the Society by Mrs Mary Merriman in 2002 after being found languishing in a garden shed for decades. Around half of the slides relate … Continue reading
Valentine, By a Palaeontologist
Edward Forbes (1815 – 1854), former President of the Society, was apparently a bit of a dabbler in poetry. His ‘Valentine, By a Palaeontologist’ was read at a GSL dinner on 14 February 1845, by which time Forbes had given up his role as curator of the Society’s museum to become a palaeontologist for the … Continue reading
Notes from a small volcanic island
Early start from Gatwick to Tenerife, but greeted on lading with warm sun and blue skies. We are here for three days to film a documentary for the Weather Channel on volcanoes and their effects on the earths climate. Apparently the US meteorological community and weather watchers in general have got a taste for volcanoes … Continue reading
The Geological Society Blog 