Thursday, 29 January 2026

Antique Maps of Cornwall

 

Cornwall by Joan Blaeu circa 1645
Mid-17th century map of the county, used during the English Civil War, hand coloured and includes many heraldic references.

 Cornwall antique maps for sale 17th to 20th century - Road maps, Cornish Sea Charts

        Cartographers include Joan Blaeu, John Luffman, Thomas Moule, Greenville Collins and Emanuel Bowen.
    Place names include Truro, St. Austell, Lostwithiel, Newquay, Launceston, Penzance, Marazion. St. Ives, Helston, Bodmin, Falmouth, Fowey


    View our extensive collection of antique maps of Cornwall here


 This miniature map is scarce and has relevant text relating to the county below, hand coloured.

Fowey and Mounts Bay - Chart by Capt. Greenville Collins
 From the Britsh Coasting Pilot and published in 1693, these were the first British charts and transformed both the country and the Navy.

Cornwall by Thomas Moule c. 1836
 This 19th century map came from the last decorative county atlas and has many heraldic shields.

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Antique Maps of Cheshire

Thomas Moule Map of Cheshire

 We have a selection of county maps of Cheshire and city plans of Chester.  From the 17th to 19th century, some are hand coloured.  The very decorative map by Thomas Moule features his usual heraldic representations of the prominent families in the county. Emanuel Bowen's map are a cartographic tour-de-force with text relating to the commerce, agriculture and history of Cheshire with a vignette of Chester Cathedral. Thomas Jenner's Mid 17th century county map of Cheshire, published during the Civil War, features Norden's mileage chart, place names include Chester, Macclesfield, Nantwich. Compass and scale to centre bottom, scarce.  Additionally there is the highly decorative, Georgian city map of Chester.

View all our antique maps of Cheshire here 

Monday, 19 January 2026

Antique Map of Devon by Benjamin Donn 1765

 

Donn's Map of Devon dated 1765

 This magnificent, prize winning wall map on twelve sheets, is available with the separate key map, which is often missing. In 1759 the The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts offered an annual award of £100 for the best original 1 inch to 1 mile county survey. Donn secured the successful entry over Isaac Taylor's map of Dorset. Benjamin Donn was born in Bideford, North Devon and was a mathematician, surveyor and mathematics teacher. Donn's map is graticuled (a graphical depiction of a co-ordinate system as a grid of coordinate curves or lines), has a vignette title, inset plans of Exeter, Plymouth, Stoke Town, and Plymouth Dock and has an inset of Lundy to the top left. He was the first to annotate Burgh Island in Bigbury Bay as Bur or Borough, previously referred to as St. Michael's.

Engraved by Thomas Jefferies, the total size is approximatel 2m (6' 6") square.

Key map 
 
 Surveyed from 1759 to Sept. 1763 and published in 1765 in several different formats. Loose leaves on paper, laid on linen and some on velum. All of these formats were available coloured or uncoloured. The engraving was untertaken by Thomas Jefferies. Donn decided to fund the survey and production of the map, which cost around £2000, by inviting subscriptions. By the time the map was published the subscriber's names numbered 528 and 750 subscribed copies were sold.
 
Laid on linen, hand coloured, some creasing and age toning. Each sheet is framed in a narrow black moulding, using UltraView glass and conservation backboard.

View a video about this map: Donn's map of Devon
 

Monday, 12 January 2026

Antique Maps of Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City and University

 

 Decorative Victorian map of the City of Cambridge with a vignette of Trinity College. Numerous coats of arms and details of the University Colleges as well as a table of references relating to other significant buildings in the City.

View all our other antique maps of Cambridgeshire and the City of Cambridge 

Large, late 17th century map of Cambridgeshire with a decorative title cartouche and three mileage scales.  Easy to read, hand coloured.

 

 Decorative Victorian map of the county with vignettes of Wimpole and Ely Cathedral. Features Cambridge, Ely, Wisbeach, March, Newmarket, St. Ives. As usual Moule includes heraldic sheilds of the prominent county famlies.

View our full collection of Antique maps of Cambridgeshire here 

Antique Maps of Buckinghamshire - 17th to 19th century

 

 Decorative, early Victorian map, features heraldic sheilds of the prominent families of the county with with vignettes of Eton College and a woman picking fruit.  Hand coloured and very detailed. Attractive and affordable county map from the last decorative county atlas.

View all our Buckinghamshire maps here 

Early 18th century map with a decorative title cartouche, places annotated include:  Buckingham, Aylesbury, Amersham, High Wickham, Beaconsfield, Windover.  Hand coloured.
 
First English edition of a 17th century map, copied from Christopher Saxton's county map by engraver William Hole with some spelling differences. Features a coat of arms, compass rose and mileage scale. No text verso. Dated circa 1610.

 Decorative 17th century map with heraldry relating to the county. Possibly a first edition. Dated c. 1645, these maps were used during the English Civil War.  Easy to read, hand coloured.

View many other antique maps of Buckinghamshire here 

Friday, 9 January 2026

Antique maps of Bristol and surrounding areas with Sea Charts of the Bristol Channel

 

Plan of Bristol by John Rapkin for John Tallis

An extensive selection of antique maps detailing the City of Bristol from the 17th to the 19th century. 


The sea charts by Van Keulen illustrate the Bristol Channel which provided access to river Avon and the Port of Bristol, crucial to the city's development ans an international port. Greenville Collins extensive chart from the late 17th century published in the British Coasting Pilot. These were the first British sea charts and transformed Britain as a naval power. This example is a double page and shows extensive detail of the Avon estuary as well as the City of Bristol. Another navigational treasure is the 18th century chart of the Bristol Channel after Edmund Halley (of comet fame) by John Senex.

See all our antique maps of Bristol and the Bristol Channel here