These are a few of our favourite things - Nicholas Crane and Society experts

Nicholas Crane and experts on the Society's team take us through their hidden highlights of our Collections, showcasing how these can help tell new histories of travel, geography and exploration.

About the speakers

Nick Crane is a geographer, journalist, author, broadcaster and eminent Anglia Ruskin alumnus. But mostly he's a traveller and explorer. In 1992-1993 Nick completed a 10,000 kilometre walk across Europe, from Cape Finisterre in the West to Istanbul in the East.

Nick has been able to combine his passion for travel with a remarkably successful writing career. In 1987 he published Journey to the Centre of the Earth which recounted a bicycle journey from the Bangladesh coast to the north-west corner of the Gobi Desert, relying only on local hospitality along the way.

Nick has authored nine books, including Coast, an accompaniment to his TV series. He is also a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.

Dr Katherine Parker is the Cartographic Collections Manager at the Society. She is a historian interested in the production of geographic knowledge about the Pacific region in the long 18th century.

Edward Armston-Sheret is a historian of exploration with a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. Alongside his role at the Society, he is an IHR Fellow at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. His first book On the Backs of Others: Rethinking the History of British Geographical Exploration was published by the University of Nebraska Press in December 2024.

Sarah Evans is Research and Collections Engagement Manager at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). A historian by training, she carried out her doctoral research on the our Collections through an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award. Her research examined women’s participation in Society-supported expeditions from 1913-1970, both mapping out the extent of that participation and then considering a number of women and their experiences in close detail.

She has a particular interest in how we tell and write the histories of geography, fieldwork and exploration – and who is left out of these. She was also previously Research Assistant on the interdisciplinary AHRC-funded Hero Project, working alongside colleagues at Aberdeen, Birmingham and Durham universities.

In her current role she works to highlight and promote research-led work on the Society’s Collections, sharing this work with wider audiences. This sits alongside her work managing the Society's Annual International Conference and supporting the Society’s 32 Research Groups.

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road. The lecture will begin at 6.30pm.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org