Enfilade

Opening today at the British Library:

Secret Maps

British Library, London, 24 October 2025 — 18 January 2026

Curated by Tom Harper, Nick Dykes, and Magdalena Peszko

Paul Sandby and William Roy, Great Map of Scotland, ca. 1755 (London: British Library, Maps CC.5.a.441).

Step into the shadows at Secret Maps, a major new exhibition revealing the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps. Maps have always been more than just tools for navigation—in the hand of governments, groups, and individuals, maps create and control knowledge. In Secret Maps, we trace the levels of power, coercion, and secrecy that lie behind maps from the 14th century to the present day, and uncover the invisible forces that draw and distort the world around us. Some of the maps on display reveal hidden landscapes, offering insight into places long forgotten or erased from official histories. Others are purposefully deceptive, designed to protect treasures, mask strategic locations, or reshape the way we see the world. This exhibition uncovers each of their individual secrets, revealing their hidden purposes and power.

Tom Harper, Nick Dykes, and Magdalena Peszko, Secret Maps: How They Conceal and Reveal the World (London: British Library Publishing, 2025), 256 pages, ISBN: 978-0712355643, £40.