About us

2 February 2022 update

We are pleased to announce the re-opening of Burlington House to Fellows and Friends with effect from Tuesday 8 February. Initially the premises will re-open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week, however, we plan to expand to five days by Spring, should the situation allow. 

Entry will once again by via the main door onto Piccadilly, and reception will be staffed as it was prior to the pandemic. 

Visitors can enjoy use of the lower Library and meeting rooms without the need for an appointment. Please note that visits to the Library will continue to be by prior appointment, with bookings open on Wednesdays and Thursdays only. From 7 March, appointments will also become available on Tuesdays – see here for further details.

In person events will recommence from 1 March.

Considering that infection rates remain high, we kindly ask that all visitors to Burlington House wear a face covering unless exempt, and observe all Covid-related measures in place.

We look forward to welcoming you back.

9 December 2021 update

Following the latest Government announcement on 8 December regarding new Covid-19 measures, Society staff will be resuming home-working patterns. Regrettably, visits to the Library and in-person venue hire will be suspended until further notice. Society events will be held virtually until otherwise notified. Thank you for your continued understanding.

12 July 2021 update

On 12 July the government announced the lifting of final restrictions related to Covid-19 with effect from 19 July. Preparations are underway for Burlington House to resume partial opening in September/October, however for now, the premises remain CLOSED to visitors until further notice, with the exception of appointment-only visits to the library by Fellows (visit our Library pages for further information). The Society is making every effort to ensure a slow return to more regular opening hours, but it must be appreciated that the situation remains unpredictable. Further information will be provided in due course. In the meantime, we thank you for your understanding.

16 June 2021 update

On Monday 14 June, the government announced a four-week delay to the lifting of final restrictions related to Covid-19. Burlington House will therefore remain closed to visitors until further notice with the exception of appointment-only visits to the library by Fellows (visit our Library pages for further information). The Society is making every effort to ensure a slow return to regular opening hours, but it must be appreciated that the situation remains unpredictable. Further information will be provided in due course. In the meantime, we thank you for your understanding.

31 March 2021 update

We are eager to re-open Burlington House at the earliest opportunity to staff, Fellows, Friends and visitors, and to see a steady resumption of ‘in-person’ services. Remote Library services have now resumed, but government advice is still to work from home where possible. Many factors have to be considered before Burlington House can be re-opened, including safe systems of work in the office, the journeys of staff to and from their workplace, and the timing of vaccine roll-out for younger age-groups. The situation remains uncertain and it is not yet possible to fix a firm date for re-opening. We hope to be able to provide more certainty in late April/early May.

Following the introduction of new Covid-19 lockdown arrangements on Tuesday 5 January, our premises at Burlington House in London and Publishing House in Bath are completely closed until further notice, other than for essential staff business that cannot be undertaken remotely. Library postal and click and collect services are suspended, however our online-only services remain available, including the sale of books. Further information including contact details for our various Fellowship services can be found in our main web pages.

Response to the current lockdown

Following the government's announcement of activity restrictions in England, the Society has temporarily suspended Library visits. We hope to reopen as soon as allowed under government guidelines, and will update you again shortly before the lockdown ends.

Burlington House reopening

You will be aware that the Society’s main offices at Burlington House were closed in mid-March due to the pandemic. Since then our staff have been working mostly remotely.

After five months of closure, I’m delighted to inform the Fellowship that a partial, phased reopening of Burlington House will begin on Monday 7 September.

Initially a small number of staff will be returning to the office for limited periods, and the Library will reopen (also on a limited basis) on Thursdays. Further details on the Library’s plans and booking protocols are provided on the Library visitors' page.

I would like to stress that all visits to the Library are strictly by appointment only, and at this time we are not able to accommodate casual visits by Fellows or the public to the building.

Should conditions allow, we will endeavour to increase opening hours over the coming weeks and months, including reinstating room hire from the start of October in line with recent Government guidance. However, I’m sure you will understand that the health and wellbeing of staff and visitors are paramount and we may need to change access conditions at short notice.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Richard Hughes
Executive Secretary, Geological Society of London

Extension of the closure of Society buildings

As a consequence of the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society's offices at Burlington House and Bath will remain closed until 31 August 2020. We hope to be able to reopen in early September, and the general situation and current closure arrangements will be reviewed in early August.

A message from Richard Hughes, Executive Secretary

Dear Fellows and friends,

In late April I announced that the Society’s offices at Burlington House and Bath would remain closed until at least the end of May. There has been some relaxation of movement restrictions in recent weeks but the underlying message from Government remains unchanged: people should continue to work from home and avoid public transport unless essential. In the interests of the health and safety of Society staff, our offices will therefore remain closed until at least the end of June. The situation will continue to be reviewed on a monthly basis.

As mentioned previously we continue to support our Fellows and friends as best we can through these unprecedented times. You should notice few, if any, changes to membership, Chartership, and publishing services at this time. However, you may experience delays in responses from the Library, events, and finance teams, and much of the Society’s policy, education, and outreach work is on hold.

Service updates from the membership, Library and information services, and events teams during office closure can be found on their homepages on our website, and from the Publishing House via the Lyell Collection website. Do remember also that online resources remain available, and may be particularly useful to those hoping to teach geology while home-schooling or through online classes.

If you have any questions about the Society’s response or the services available, please contact us through our general mailbox or, for Fellowship/Chartership enquiries, at [email protected].

Stay safe and well.

Yours,

Richard Hughes

A message from Richard Hughes, Executive Secretary

Dear Fellows and friends,

In late March I announced that the Society’s offices at Burlington House and Bath would be closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that staff would be working remotely. The initial closure period was until the end of April, but in the light of the continuing situation and Government’s announcement on 16 April of the extension to the lockdown period, the Society’s offices will remain closed until at least the end of May.

As the closure period lengthens so do the financial pressures facing the Society, which is entirely reliant on income from membership, conferences and events, publishing, corporate sponsorship and donations. Regrettably, as a consequence of pressure upon these revenue streams, I took the decision last week to furlough a number of staff in Bath and Burlington House.

Since the offices closed in mid-March the staff have worked tirelessly to ensure the Society’s work continues with minimal impact. We continue to support our Fellows and friends as best we can through these unprecedented times. You should notice few if any changes to membership, Chartership, and publishing services at this time. However, you may experience delays in responses from the Library, events, and finance teams, and much of the Society’s policy, education, and outreach work will be put on hold.

Service updates from the membership, Library and information services, and events teams during office closure can be found on their homepages on our website, and from the Publishing House via the Lyell Collection website. Do remember also that online resources remain available, and may be particularly useful to those hoping to teach geology while home-schooling or through online classes.

Of course, I also recognise that these are very difficult times for our membership, and the Society remains open to support your professional development. In that regard, I am pleased to announce that we will be launching a job listings service, which will be free for anyone looking to post an opportunity or search for an opening. More details will be made available in the coming weeks through our newsletter.

If you have any questions about the Society’s response or the services available, please contact us through our general mailbox or, for Fellowship/Chartership enquiries, at [email protected].

Stay safe and well.

Yours,

Richard Hughes
Executive Secretary

A message from Richard Hughes, Executive Secretary

Dear Fellows and friends,

As we all come to terms with the impacts of Coronavirus, I’m writing to keep you informed about the steps we’re taking to maintain our services in support of our science, profession and society.

Following the UK Prime Minister’s announcements earlier this week the Geological Society’s main office at Burlington House and our Publishing House in Bath closed on Tuesday March 17th. The initial closure period was until the end of March, but it is now extended until the end of April. Further information will be provided in due course.

Our staff are now working from home, making every effort to continue to deliver our services with a minimum of disruption to you, the Fellowship, and our many friends and supporters. There will inevitably be some disruption in areas where a physical presence is needed in the offices such as the fulfilment of bookshop orders, but we’re striving to keep such disruption to an absolute minimum. All events have been cancelled or postponed until the end of May, and our Regional and Specialist Groups have also suspended meetings.

On a more positive note the publication of Geoscientist will continue, so expect your copies to arrive as usual and do keep those articles coming. Journal and book publication will also continue as normal so consider submitting your research or visiting the Lyell Collection to read the latest articles.

There is a vast collection of resources on our Education, Careers, Outreach and Policy web pages, and don’t forget that our online Library services, catalogues, and picture library remain available. Remember that you have access to your chosen journal(s) and the book archive as a Fellowship benefit. The Fellowship and Chartership teams continue to deal with your enquiries, and there may never have been a better opportunity to ensure your CPD records are up to date.

I know you all have a lot to think about but I want to thank you for your continued support of the Society during these unprecedented times. On behalf of the Society I wish you and yours continued safety and good health.

Best wishes,

RH