Events & Courses

Launch of William Smith map display and exhibition, followed by a week of half term activities celebrating and exploring the map and Smith's Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Museum holds a copy of William Smith’s (1769-1839) famous map of the geology of England and Wales. This was published in 1815, and pioneered the use of fossils to identify and trace layers of rock across large distances – a technique still used today. Smith has been known as ‘Strata’ ever since. He was the uncle of the Yorkshire Museum’s first keeper, John Phillips (1800-1874), and the map was registered in the collections in 1824. By this time Smith was living in Scarborough, and he and Phillips gave a series of lectures in the region, illustrated using this map.

Yorkshire Museum are joining the nationwide bicentenary celebrations by conserving and displaying this map alongside its Yorkshire story for the first time. More details and other events will be announced closer to the time.

More events celebrating the Bicentenary of William Smith's map