Wednesday 4 November 2009

Walking through the RGS

"The learned society & professional body
for geography & geographers."

1.
The Map Room has low cabinets
with shallow drawers.
The temptation to open one
almost overcomes me.

2.
There is a lunch reception and
I see out of the corner of my eye
that the immaculate man on the sofa
is from the Embassy of Azerbaijan.

3.
Tea Room : for use by Fellows and Guests only

(Do eminent explorers drink tea?)

4.
I am momentarily distracted
by the selection of guidebooks
for the Arctic and Antartica.

5.
Stanley, moustachioed and belligerent,
is hidden behind the swing doors.

6.
The Zanzibar chests
are from the Artefacts collection of the Society.
Please do not sit on them.


7.
A sliver of the Royal Albert Hall
is glimpsed through tall casement windows.

8.
In the empty lecture theatre
the brass edge to the balcony seats
shines dully in the half-light.

9.
Lavatories on the Minstrels Gallery

10.
Sir Wilfred Thesiger stares back at me,
his hooded bronze eyes exactly on a level with mine.

11.
The leather seats in the corridors
are gold embossed with
the impressive design of the RGS,
crowned and gartered.

12.
Photographs of Sherpas
from the 1936 expedition to Everest
stare solemnly out over the exhibition space.
In this building where great expeditions
have been proposed and planned
they claim their rightful place.

*****

Founded in 1830,
the
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
is a world centre for geography:
supporting research, education,
fieldwork & expeditions,
and promoting public engagement
and informed enjoyment of our world.

11 comments:

  1. You weren't about to set off around the world in eighty days there were you MrsM - what an opportunity for blog photos!

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  2. You are my fountain of knowledge and inspiration to learn!
    Seriously, I feel rather illiterate upon my visits here ...
    Paola

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  3. Oh come now. Must you really even pose the question about tea? Of course explorers drink tea, how else was Britain able to conquer the world and build an Empire of such immensity?

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  4. I love that casually knotted belt.

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  5. I've just realized - you are Maira Kalman, aren't you?
    http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/

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  6. I'm with trashalou, of course they drink tea, question is do they put the milk in first?

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  7. The lavatories sound a bit exposed to me but then I suppose hardened explorers are used to that sort of exposure.

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  8. Your attention to detail is much appreciated...and quite remarkable.

    Thank you for yet another fascinating guided tour. Remember our last one? Almost exactly one year ago.

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  9. This makes me yearn for a huge trunk bound with leather strap, a case load of maps and months of awandering- somewhere hot(ter) and dry...

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  10. You do get to some lovely places.
    I wish I'd read this before I wrote my last bland post.

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  11. oh wow.

    That is such a cool place to visit...

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