Three‑panel image showing the authors of “Mapping Britain’s Railways,” the book cover, and a large railway map.

Book Launch: Mapping Britain’s Railways

Date: 18 November 2026
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
In-person at Stanfords, 7 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9FA, UK
Third-party event
A three‑part promotional image for “Mapping Britain’s Railways.” The left panel shows an author seated at a table with bookshelves behind him, smiling beside a copy of the book. The centre panel displays the book cover, featuring a stylised map of Britain’s rail lines. The right panel shows the second author standing and holding a large printed railway map. A faded map of Britain forms the background.

Railway diagrams have been at the forefront of mapping Britain’s railways since they first began operating 200 years ago – a journey from A to B has always needed to be easily and quickly understood.

‘Mapping Britain’s Railways‘ reveals the surprising history of how British railway cartographers have led the way in designing clear passenger information, even predating the iconic London Underground diagram, which itself has expanded to encompass overground routes around the capital and beyond.

Written and designed by bestselling author Mark Ovenden and National Rail mapmaker Andrew Smithers, this intriguing and lively history is illustrated with over 300 colourful maps from around the country, showing the evolution of schematics from simple line drawings to complex diagrams that incorporate ever more information.

[Tickets cost from £8 (attendance only) to £27 (attendance + copy of the book). Book your place.]