59-486: Elvaston Place is a street in South Kensington , London. Elvaston Place runs west to east from Gloucester Road to Queen's Gate . The High Commission of Gabon, London , is at number 27. The High Commission of Mauritius, London , is at number 32/33. The Embassy of Iraq, London , has its consular section at number 3. Much of the street, 1-20 and 32–46, was built by the property developer Charles Aldin in
118-540: A body of relevant work; alternatively, a previous five-year commitment at the regular member level (less, at the council's discretion) is also considered for eligibility. Fellows may use the post-nominal designation FRGS after their names. Since 2002 the society has been granted the power to award the status of chartered geographer. The status can be obtained only by those who have a degree in geography or related subject and at least 6 years' geographical experience, or 15 years' geographical work experience for those without
177-581: A chain. Residents have included: Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) , often shortened to RGS , is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences, the society has 16,000 members, with its work reaching the public through publications, research groups and lectures. The RGS
236-783: A degree. Being awarded the status allows the use of the post-nominal letters "CGeog". Chartered geographer (teacher) is a professional accreditation available to teachers who can demonstrate competence, experience and professionalism in the use of geographical knowledge or skills in and out of the classroom, and who are committed to maintaining their professional standards through ongoing continuing professional development (CPD). The society's research and study groups bring together active researchers and professional geographers in particular areas of geography. There are 27 active research groups, with each group organising their own seminars, conferences, workshops and other activities. The society also presents awards to geographers that have contributed to
295-693: A lecture theatre in Burlington Gardens , London which was lent to it by the Civil Service Commission. Under the patronage of King William IV it later became known as the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and was granted its royal charter under Queen Victoria in 1859. Another notable early member was Sir John Franklin . The Society has been a key associate and supporter of many famous explorers and expeditions , including those of: A new impetus
354-441: A six-day siege during which one of the hostages was killed. The British SAS finally stormed the building in a 17-minute operation, bringing out the hostages and the one surviving gunman who was subsequently sentenced to 27 years in prison for his part in the offences. The first church to rise among the fields at Brompton was the socially notable, but widely considered architecturally ugly, Holy Trinity Brompton in 1829. It served
413-617: A source of qualified, practising and experienced professional geographers. Fellows may apply for chartership if they fulfil the criteria. The RGS was founded on 16 July 1830 under the name Geographical Society of London as an institution to promote the 'advancement of geographical science'. The seven founding members of the society were Sir John Barrow (geographer), Sir Roderick Murchison (geologist), Robert Brown (botanist), Lord Broughton (politician), Mountstuart Elphinstone (colonial administrator), Bartholomew Frere (diplomat) and William Henry Smyth (Admiral). The first President of
472-525: A trial of an enhanced moving map that featured Hidden Journeys content. Developed in partnership between Hidden Journeys and the IFE software company Airborne Interactive, the enhanced map is available for the Singapore-London route on the airline's brand new Boeing 777-300ER (flight number SQ308 and SQ319), and features a range of geographical facts and highlights, photography and maps, all curated by
531-583: A wide area from the Kensington Canal in the west to the Kensington Turnpike in the north. The first incumbent, one Percival Frye, just happened to be the nephew of Archdeacon Alfred Pott , vicar of the neighbouring Kensington parish. It was followed by: The area is the subject of Donovan 's song "Sunny South Kensington", about the area's reputation as the hip part of London in the 1960s. Roman Polanski 's film, Repulsion (1965)
590-469: A wide variety of sporting, scientific and youth expeditions from 1965 to the present day. The society holds one of the largest private map collections in the world which is continuously increasing. It includes one million sheets of maps and charts, 3000 atlases, 40 globes and 1000 gazetteers. The earliest printed item in the Collection dates back to 1482. The RGS-IBG also holds manuscript materials from
649-590: Is available by application from postgraduate students or those within five years of graduating from their first degree. Fellows of the RGS come from a wide range of professional backgrounds. They must either be proposed by an existing fellow or an individual may submit evidence of his or her own work and academic publications in the field of geography and closely related subjects such as international development , climate change and expedition medicine . Applicants must be of at least 21 years of age and provide evidence of
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#1732772571168708-564: Is furthermore criss-crossed by the Exhibition Road and the stately Queen's Gate and Prince Consort Road . Until road lay-out improvements in 2012, the area was afflicted with traffic congestion and likened to a series of traffic islands. Modern development of the area is the result of the creation of the temporary Albertopolis reached by Exhibition Road, whose terrain now includes the Natural History Museum ,
767-429: Is inter-linked with the history of British geography, exploration and discovery. Information, maps, charts and knowledge gathered on expeditions was sent to the RGS, making up its now unique geographical collections. The society published its first journal in 1831 and from 1855, accounts of meetings and other matters were published in the society proceedings. In 1893, this was replaced by The Geographical Journal which
826-613: Is still published today. The society was also pivotal in establishing geography as a teaching and research discipline in British universities, and funded the first geography positions in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge . With the advent of a more systematic study of geography, the Institute of British Geographers (IBG) was formed in 1933, by thirteen geographers including Hilda Ormsby , Andrew Charles O'Dell , as
885-804: The Alliance française , as well as the Consulate General of France, not far from the French Embassy in Knightsbridge . With a French bookshop and many international cafés in the area, it has been called "Paris's 21st arrondissement". In April and May 1980 a group of six Iranian Arabs entered the Iranian Embassy in South Kensington and took the staff, visitors and a diplomatic policeman hostage. There followed
944-642: The Arctic and its people. In 1902 they awarded khan Bahadur Sher Jang a Sword of Honour (the Black Memorial) in recognition of his valuable services to geography In total the society awards 17 medals and awards including honorary membership and fellowship. Some of the other awards given by the RGS include: The society's collections consist of over two million documents, maps, photographs, paintings, periodicals, artefacts and books, and span 500 years of geography, travel and exploration. The society preserves
1003-758: The First World War it has become a cosmopolitan area attracting Belgian and French refugees, but also Poles during the Second World War and after, as well as latterly Spanish, Italian, and American expatriates. Some residents also have a Middle Eastern origin. The French presence is emphasised by the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle , the French Institute , housing a theatre now used as the Ciné Lumière with nearby
1062-951: The Geological Museum , the Science Museum , the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Oratory and since 1915, the Lycée Français . Other local institutions include the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum , Polish Hearth Club , London Goethe-Institut , the Royal Albert Hall , Imperial College London , the Royal Geographical Society , the Royal College of Art , the Royal College of Music and between 1903 and 1991,
1121-572: The Royal College of Organists there. The market gardens of the rural area began to make way for a series of hospitals, such as the Brompton Hospital and the New Cancer Hospital along nearby Fulham Road. Adjacent landowners began to develop the land in the 1860s as a result of the transport hub and the general urbanisation boom west of London, and led to the eventual absorption of Brompton and its station into Kensington. It
1180-596: The Royal College of Organists , West London Air Terminal , the Ismaili Centre, London and the late comer 1960s Baden-Powell House some of which are administratively within the City of Westminster , but considered to be "within range of South Kensington". Although the SW7 postcode mainly covers South Kensington, it goes into Knightsbridge . The only Royal Mail Post Office in South Kensington closed in 2019. Following
1239-608: The Victoria and Albert Museum ). To the north is the Kensington Gore , to the south the winding Fulham Road and streets leading to Sloane Square and to the west, the residential and hotel area of Gloucester Road . South Kensington station lies on the junction of several thoroughfares: principally the Old Brompton Road , Harrington Road and Pelham Street and a stone's throw from the arterial Cromwell Road . It
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#17327725711681298-538: The 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park , an 87-acre (35 ha) area, west of what is now Exhibition Road, was purchased by the commissioners of the exhibition, in order to create a base for institutions dedicated to the arts and sciences, leading to the foundation of the Royal Albert Hall , three museums, the Royal School of Mines later a world renowned technological university, the Royal College of Music and
1357-562: The Antarctic adventures of Scott and Shackleton to the pioneering journeys of Livingstone, Baker, Speke and Burton. The RGS-IBG provides funding for geographical research and scientific expeditions. The society offers a number of grants to researchers, students, teachers and independent travellers. More than 70 projects are supported each year and in excess of £180,000 is awarded annually. Research has been conducted in more than 120 countries, from Namibia to Brazil to Greenland. Every year
1416-683: The Cromwell Road. In 1906 the new Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway company opened the Brompton Road tube station in the vicinity, thus adding a link directly to the political, commercial and financial heart of the capital in Westminster , the West End and the City of London , but owing to under use, it was shut in 1934. During the Second World War it was used by the 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade . Since
1475-567: The Institute of British Geographers) was formed. The society also works together with other existing bodies serving the geographical community, in particular the Geographical Association and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society . In 2004, the RGS's historical collections relating to scientific exploration and research, which are of national and international importance, were opened to
1534-628: The Patron's. The award has been given to notable geographers including David Livingstone (1855), Nain Singh Rawat (1876), Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen (1878), Alfred Russel Wallace (1892), and Frederick Courtney Selous (1893) to more recent winners including Percy Harrison Fawcett (1916), Professor William Morris Davis (1919), Sir Halford John Mackinder (1945), Professor L. Dudley Stamp (1949), Professor Richard Chorley (1987) and Professor David Harvey (1995). In 2004 Harish Kapadia
1593-426: The RGS was seen as too focused on exploration. IBG activities included organising conferences, field trips, seminars, and specialist research groups and publishing a journal, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers . The RGS and IBG co-existed for 60 years until 1992 when a merger was discussed. In 1994, members were balloted and the merger agreed. In January 1995, the new Royal Geographical Society (with
1652-688: The RGS-IBG helps teams of students and researchers to get into the field with Geographical Fieldwork Grants, the society's longest running grant scheme. The newest initiative is the RGS-IBG International Field Centre Grants, for work in international field centres in developing nations. Independent travel grants support geographical expeditions. Each year, the society supports more than 50 student fieldwork projects, from PhD students collecting data for their dissertation to groups of undergraduates looking to get out into
1711-463: The Royal Geographical Society with IBG . The society is governed by its council, which is chaired by the society's president, according to a set of statutes and standing orders. The members of council and the president are elected from and by its fellows, who are allowed to use the postnominal title FRGS. As a chartered body, the RGS holds the Register of Chartered Geographers in the public interest,
1770-496: The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Information is delivered in real time, with content changing as the flight progresses, so for example, while a passenger is passing over the United Kingdom, they'll be met with a pop-up that explains the origins and importance of the English Channel. The RGS-IBG education department offers courses, resources, accreditation, grants, awards, competitions and school membership, all for
1829-628: The Society was the former Prime Minister Viscount Goderich and the first Secretary Alexander Maconochie (who became the first professor of Geography at the University College London ), with another notable council member being Sir Francis Beaufort . Like many learned societies , it had started as a dining club in London, where select members held informal dinner debates on current scientific issues and ideas. It later absorbed
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1888-427: The Society, consisting mainly of cultural objects from around the world, ranging from Inuit boots (from Canadian Arctic) to ceremonial leopard's claws (from the then Belgian Congo), paraphernalia of exploration, for example oxygen sets used in the various attempts on Everest, and personal items belonging to explorers, such as Shackleton's Burberry helmet. Artefacts from the collection have been loaned to exhibitions around
1947-554: The South Pole in 1912. The society is governed by its board of trustees called the council, which is chaired by its president. The members of council and the president are elected from its fellowship . The council consists of 36 members, 22 of which are elected by fellows and serve for a three-year term. In addition to the elected trustees, there are honorary members—who include the Duke of Kent as honorary president—who sit on
2006-667: The advancement of geography. The most prestigious of these awards are the Founder's Medal and the Patron's Medal . The award is given for "the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery", and are approved by King Charles III . The awards originated as an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV , first made in 1831, "to constitute a premium for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery". The society decided in 1839 to change this monetary award into two gold medals: Founder's Medal and
2065-465: The air. Since launching, online guides have been published for more than 25 flight paths, including London to Johannesburg , New York City to Los Angeles, Sydney to Singapore, Madrid to Rio de Janeiro . The Hidden Journeys project is also integrating its content with the moving maps aboard airliners , as a new form of in-flight entertainment (IFE) that has been termed geo-entertainment or geotainment. In December 2013, Singapore Airlines began
2124-470: The big issues likely to affect our lives and society in the coming years. The talks are held at the society's headquarters with all talks available to watch online along with additional information. Discovering Britain is a website featuring a series of self-led geographical walks that help explain the stories behind the UK's built and natural landscapes. Each walk explores a particular landscape, finding out about
2183-475: The collections for the benefit of future generations, while providing public access and promoting collections-related educational programmes for schools and lifelong learners. The Foyle Reading Room acts as a consultation space for using the society's collections, and hosts showcases and workshops as well as the Be Inspired series of talks. The artefacts collection includes over a thousand items brought to
2242-661: The council. The society has five specialist committees that it derives advice from: the Education Committee, Research Committee, Expedition and Fieldwork Committee, Information Resources Committee, and the Finance Committee. There are four categories of individual membership: Anyone with an interest in geography is eligible to apply to become a member of the RGS-IBG. Students who are studying geography (or an allied subject) at GCSE, A Level or as an undergraduate (or at equivalent levels). This status
2301-421: The development of geographical knowledge and the historical development of geography. Since 1994, the society has recorded the majority of its Monday night lectures. Society members and fellows can watch selected lectures from 2006 onward online. The society's picture library holds over half a million photographs, artworks, negatives, lantern slides and albums dating from around 1830. Historic images range from
2360-439: The discipline. The society supports innovation in teaching geography at secondary and higher education level, offering several awards for school teachers to work alongside researchers in geographical research, so to develop educational resources for the classroom, and to create teaching materials. 21st Century Challenges is the society's discussion series that aims to improve public understanding of, and engagement with, some of
2419-506: The early 1860s. 26-31 were built in 1866–68. Miss Ironside's School was located at number 2. 51°29′50″N 0°10′56″W / 51.49727°N 0.18218°W / 51.49727; -0.18218 South Kensington South Kensington is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton . Its name
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2478-507: The field for the first time. Grants are available for both human and physical geography projects, in any area of the world. The society supports a range of field and desk-based research by academic geographers, from established researchers undertaking fieldwork to early career academics working on smaller projects. The RGS-IBG also supports academics attending geographical conferences around the world. Some awards focus on particular geographical regions or topics, with others open to any aspect of
2537-442: The landscape, and shaping, preserving and exploiting the landscape. Hidden Journeys is a public engagement project of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) that started in 2010. The Hidden Journeys website combines images, stories and maps (many from the Society's geographical collections) into a series of interactive guides of popular flight paths, enabling people to explore the incredible places they fly over and might see from
2596-421: The latest geographical academic literature in addition to the journals published by the RGS-IBG itself. The RGS-IBG houses a collection of 4,500 expedition reports. These documents contain details of the achievements and research results of expeditions to almost every country of the world. The catalogue of these reports, and over 8,500 planned and past expeditions, is held on a database which provides contact with
2655-499: The mid sixteenth century onwards, aerial photography from 1919 and contemporary satellite images. The manuscript archive collection consists of material arising out of the conduct of society business and manuscripts relating to persons or subjects of special interest. The document collection includes a few papers from before the society's founding in 1830, and is particularly useful to biographers of nineteenth and early twentieth century travellers and geographers, as well as research into
2714-473: The most exclusive real estate in the world. As is often the case in other areas of London, the boundaries for South Kensington are arbitrary and have altered with time. This is due in part to usage arising from the tube stops and other landmarks which developed across Brompton. A contemporary definition is the commercial area around the South Kensington tube station and the adjacent garden squares and streets (such as Onslow Square and Thurloe Square , opposite
2773-683: The older African Association , which had been founded by Sir Joseph Banks in 1788, as well as the Raleigh Club and the Palestine Association . From 1830 to 1840 the RGS met in the rooms of the Horticultural Society in Regent Street , London and from 1854 -1870 at 15 Whitehall Place, London. In 1870, the society finally found a home when it moved to 1 Savile Row , London. The society also used briefly
2832-493: The public for the first time. In the same year, a new category of membership was introduced to widen access for people with a general interest in geography. The new Foyle Reading Room and glass Pavilion exhibition space were also opened to the public in 2004. For example, in 2012 the RGS held an exhibition, in the glass Pavilion, of photographs taken by Herbert Ponting on Captain Robert Falcon Scott 's expedition to
2891-507: The society was closely allied for many of its earlier years with 'colonial' exploration in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the polar regions, and central Asia especially. It has been a key associate and supporter of many notable explorers and expeditions , including those of Darwin , Livingstone , Stanley , Scott , Shackleton , Hunt and Hillary . The early history of the society
2950-470: The way in which the forces of nature, people, events and the economy have created and shaped the area. There are now more than 120 walks on the Discovering Britain website, covering all regions of the United Kingdom. Walks are themed according to the landscape in which they are located, including built, prehistoric, historic, working, hidden and changing landscapes. Walks also look at people in
3009-578: The world and are in continual demand. The library collection holds more than 150,000 bound volumes that focus on the history and geography of places worldwide. Example volumes include information on European migration, a 19th-century guidebook to Berlin, and David Livingstone's account of his search for the source of the Nile . It currently receives around 800 journal titles, as well as many more journal titles that are either not currently subscribed to, or have ceased publication, allowing society members access to
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#17327725711683068-520: Was awarded the Patron's Medal for contributions to geographical discovery and mountaineering in the Himalayas, making him the second Indian to receive the award in its history. In 2005 the Founder's Medal was awarded to Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton for his research in the field of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology and the Patron's Medal was awarded to Professor Jean Malaurie for a lifelong study of
3127-491: Was due in part to a considerable decrease in sales between 2015 and 2016 in addition to the company expanding its online presence. Tim Waterstone opened his first eponymous Waterstones bookshop in 1982 in Old Brompton Road. It has given way to a Little Waitrose . Caffè Nero also started life as a single coffee shop in Old Brompton Road, opened by Ian Semp in 1990. It was subsequently bought out and became
3186-424: Was founded in 1830 under the name Geographical Society of London as an institution to promote the 'advancement of geographical science'. It later absorbed the older African Association , which had been founded by Sir Joseph Banks in 1788, as well as the Raleigh Club and the Palestine Association . In 1995 it merged with the Institute of British Geographers , a body for academic geographers, to become officially
3245-595: Was given to the society's affairs in 1911, with the election of Earl Curzon , the former Viceroy of India , as the society's President (1911–1914). The premises in Savile Row (once described by Curzon as "cramped and rather squalid") were sold and the present site, Lowther Lodge in Kensington Gore, was purchased for £100,000 and opened for use in April 1913. In the same year the society's ban on women fellows
3304-590: Was lifted. Lowther Lodge was built in 1874 for the William Lowther by Norman Shaw , one of the most outstanding domestic architects of his day. Extensions to the east wing were added in 1929, and included the New Map Room and the 750 seat Lecture Theatre. The extension was formally opened by the Duke of York (later King George VI) at the RGS centenary celebrations on 21 October 1930. The history of
3363-527: Was partly filmed in South Kensington. Morgan cars , a British family-owned hand built sportscar company operates a main dealership out of Astwood Mews in South Kensington. Christie's auction house had a second London salesroom in the Old Brompton Road, South Kensington from 1975, which primarily handled the middle market. Christie's permanently closed the South Kensington salesroom in July 2017 as part of their restructuring plans announced March 2017. The closure
3422-470: Was sealed by the arrival of the Metropolitan and District Railways at Brompton, but for public relations reasons, it was re-named "South Kensington" in 1868. To facilitate public access to the museums, the railway company built a pedestrian tunnel directly from the station concourse to an exit halfway up Exhibition Road, next to the now defunct Royal Mail sorting office, to avoid crowds having to cross
3481-427: Was supplanted with the advent of the railways in the late 19th century and the opening (and shutting) and naming of local tube stations. The area has many museums and cultural landmarks with a high number of visitors, such as the Natural History Museum , the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum . Adjacent affluent centres such as Knightsbridge , Chelsea and Kensington , have been considered as some of
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