Lanarkshire Philatelic Society

"Maps"

Mrs. Lyn Robinson

Members of the Lanarkshire Philatelic Society enjoyed a "whistle stop tour" round the world on Friday afternoon – not in 80 days, but 2 hours!

Guest speaker, Mrs Lyn Robinson, of the Uddingston Stamp and Postcard Club, presented a wonderful postcard display of "Maps". She began with the development of the mapping of the world – from Ptolemy’s World Map of 1200AD and continuing through maps drawn from knowledge gained by explorers of the world. The Mappa Mundi of 1300 and maps drawn in 1492 and 1508 showed how the geography of the world gradually became recognisable.

The first map of the British Isles appeared around 1255 – drawn by Matthew Paris and shows both Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall. A map of 1482 gave a further outline of the British Isles as known at that time and slowly becoming recognisable. In 1542, King Henry VIII appointed a Hydrographer, to map out the sea and its navigation.

A map of the Pilgrims’ Way – from Winchester to Canterbury (to Thomas a Becket’s tomb in the Cathedral ) – as begun in 1172 was shown. Also a map of London as in 1572 – engraved by Frans Högenberg and Georg Braun – and of the London to Dover route for the Royal Mail (on horseback!) in 1635. Then a tour of  various English Counties and cities – of Islands; Channel Islands, Scillies, Isle of Wight, Purbeck - these were followed with a viewing of maps of Scottish Islands and Counties.

Then a move across the "Pond" to early maps of North America – a map of 1612 of Virginia; maps of Canada and USA (and further) drawn by Jean-Denis Barbié du Bocage – 1790. Maps of the islands of the Mediterranean; of the Pacific; and of Antarctica. Views of the length of the Suez and Panama Canals.

A great display of Underground systems!  London; Moscow; Paris; Berlin; New York; Vienna; Beijing; Hong Kong – and, of course, dear Glasgow’s Subway!  The display ended with a maps of Milton Keynes - an urban vector art map – and a map drawn in the style of the London Underground.

Alex Magowan gave thanks to Lyn for giving members such a fascinating, interesting - and "whizzing" - tour of the world!

Our next meeting in the Caledonian Bowling Club, Motherwell Road, Hamilton, is on Friday, 15^th March 2024, at 7:30pm - please note change of time! – when Frank Beattie will present his display on

"Railway Themes".

Anyone with an interest in stamps, postal history, postcards etc is very welcome to attend.