The British Library has today opened a major new exhibition exploring the intriguing history of secrecy in mapmaking, with support coming from tabletop gaming retailer Wayland Games.
Secret Maps, running until January 2026, delves into how maps have been used to conceal and control information for centuries. The exhibition showcases over 100 items, spanning from the 14th century to the modern day, demonstrating the power of cartography in politics, conflict, and even everyday life. Wayland Games, known for its extensive range of tabletop roleplaying and wargaming products, is one of the key sponsors, alongside Tony & Maureen Wheeler.
L-R: A map of Northumberland from an 1570s atlas created for Elizabeth I’s minister Lord Burghley; a bombing target map of central London for use by Luftwaffe, Neues Luftfahrtministerium,1940 © British Library Board
The connection between maps and the tabletop hobby is clear. Richard Lawford, Managing Director of Wayland Games Ltd, commented on the sponsorship:
Wayland Games is proud to support the Secret Maps exhibition at the British Library. As a retailer of tabletop games that spark imagination, we know how powerful maps can be; not just for finding your way, but for uncovering information, planning strategies, and setting the stage for epic adventures. The exhibition’s focus on secrecy, conflict, and control through maps speaks to the stories our community loves to explore. We hope visitors leave inspired to chart new stories of their own.
Secret Maps examines how cartography served imperial ambitions, state control, societal commentary, and personal privacy (or lack thereof). Examples range from opulent naval charts gifted to Henry VIII and classified D-Day landing plans to maps used by Syrian refugees and data visualisations exposing offshore property ownership. The exhibition even touches upon the role of maps in popular culture, referencing the iconic Where’s Wally books and world-building games like Minecraft.
Tom Harper, Lead Curator of Antiquarian Maps at the British Library, explained the exhibition’s scope:
Mapping over the centuries has responded to the human desire to explore and define our world but can also be used as a tool of concealment. Through atlases, globes and charts in the British Library’s collection and special loans from GCHQ, the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum and other lenders, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the history of secrecy in cartography. Secret Maps explores how maps reflect social change, geo-politics and advances in technology while also inviting visitors to discover how often maps conceal as much as they reveal.
The exhibition is divided into four sections:
- Imperial Secrets: Explores how maps aided European colonial expansion from the 16th century, featuring maps linked to Sir Walter Raleigh’s search for El Dorado, the aftermath of the American War of Independence, the partition of British India, and Māori perspectives on Aotearoa (New Zealand).
- State Secrets: Highlights governmental use of maps for strategic concealment, including a rare Ordnance Survey map from the 1926 General Strike, Willem Blaeu’s globe depicting a secret Pacific passage, escape maps hidden in WWII prisoner items, and a map drawn by T.E. Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’).
- Secrets in Society: Reflects how maps mirror societal values and record experiences, showcasing a 16th-century Inka khipu (record-keeping device), a 1970s ‘Gay to Z’ map of London, an apartheid-era South African atlas omitting non-white populations, and Indigenous mapping projects exposing illegal mining in Suriname.
- Personal Secrets: Delves into mapping’s role in making private lives public, featuring land surveys from colonial Ireland and Kenya, a 1927 world cable map revealing censorship stations, a refugee transit route map shared via encrypted messaging, and a Private Eye map exposing offshore property ownership.
Alongside the main exhibition, a diverse events programme features talks from authors like Prof Jerry Brotton, Tim Marshall, Alison Bashford, and Travis Elborough. Topics include maps in warfare, espionage, uncanny cartography, and the future of world borders. An accompanying book, Secret Maps: How they Conceal and Reveal the World, is also available.
Secret Maps runs from 24 October 2025 to 18 January 2026 at the British Library in London. Tickets are £20, with concessions available.
Quick Links
- Tickets: Secret Maps
