In medieval times, a county was the realm of a lord. A county palatine was a county in which the lord held particular rights in lieu of the monarch, for example the right to pardon those guilty of treason or murder. Shires were formed in Anglo-Saxon times for the purpose of raising taxes. These had fortified strongholds at their centres which became the shire or county towns of today.

John Speed (1552-1629) is arguably the most famous English cartographer of this, or any other period as a result of his atlas "The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine" published in 1612. This was going to prove to be a very useful atlas containing 67 maps that included all of the counties of England and Wales. Because they are so informative and decorative, the individual maps are the best known and among the most sought-after of all county maps. The maps themselves were derived from the best and most up-to-date sources available. However, Speed also made innovations of his own such as introducing town plans on most of the maps.

This collection includes a fine set of town plans from The Royal Atlas of England and Wales produced in 1898 by J.G. Bartholomew for George Newnes Ltd. Another highlight is a detailed map of England and Wales from The College Atlas by H.G. Collins, published in 1852. Also available are all the street maps from the Pocket Atlas and Guide to London, produced by Bartholomew at the beginning of the 1900’s for John Walker & Co. This set includes a fascinating map titled ‘Bird’s-Eye View Map of Central London’

Our Irish collection includes two interesting pictorial maps: the Historical Map of Ireland and the Irish Family Names Map. Also available are a number of very attractive maps from some of our world atlases including a map of Ireland from “The College Atlas” by H.G. Collins, published in 1852. From our 17th Century collection we have a map of Ireland, originally published in 1635 by Willem and Johan Blaeu in there Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

While this collection includes a number of traditional world maps it also contains a range of maps on less familiar themes and map projections. The World Powers 1957 map is particularly interesting as it uses the Atlantis Projection devised in 1948 by John Bartholomew. This map appeared in the Mid-Century edition of The Times Atlas of the World. Also included in the collection is a world map showing the British Empire from the first Times World Atlas, produced by the German firm Velhagen & Klasing in 1896.

Collection Includes:
George Bradshaw Railway Maps
Maps of the First Inter City and Trunk Lines
Old Railway Maps of England and Wales
Old Railway Maps of London
Old Railway Poster Maps
Old Scottish Railway Maps
Railway Maps of Great Britain
Waggonways and The First Public Railways

Special interest maps are always popular, none more so than railway maps. Our collection includes many fine examples including those published by: J. Bartholomew, A, & C. Black, G. F. Cruchley, W. Lizars, E. Stanford, W. H. Smith and W. & A. K. Johnston. The “Citizen” City and Suburban Railway Map of Glasgow, produced by J. Bartholomew in 1895 for James Henderson & Sons is of note as it shows the cable subway (underground) under construction. It opened the following year, December 1896.

A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. It shows details of the coastline, water depths, navigational hazards and manmade structures such as harbours, bridges and buildings.

From the 13th century mariners started to keep records of their journeys and the first nautical maps were developed. Over the following centuries they developed new nautical tools. John Harris invented his chronometer from which longitude could be measured.

At the end of the 17th century the Dutch were the masters of the sea and produced the best nautical charts in the world. Samuel Pepys, then secretary of the Navy under King Charles II, appointed Captain Greenvile Collins, a Trinity House Pilot, to chart the British coastline. In 1693 “Great Britain’s Coasting Pilot“ was published. This contained 48 beautiful charts of the coastline of the British Isles of which some areas had never previously been mapped.

Collection Includes:
Cold War Maps
Egypt and the Suez Canal
French German Wars
Napoleonic Wars

Bartholomew’s has a long history in military map-making which it pioneered during the Boer War, and Smith's War Map of Zulu Land published in 1879 is a good example this early military mapping. Even earlier, 1871, Bartholomew’s produced for W. & A. K. Johnston a war map of France showing the territory held respectively by the French and German armies during the Franco-Prussian War. An inset map of Paris shows the range of the German artillery batteries that encircled the city. These and many other fine examples are included in this collection.

Collection Includes:
Major British Cities
British Towns
English Counties
Welsh Counties
Scottish Counties
Irish Counties
Railway & Canal Nostalgia

As the famous cartographers were mapping our counties, towns and cities, down the centuries, many artists and illustrator’s were creating beautiful images that captured the scenic beauty of our historic counties, ever changing prospect views to nostalgic glimpses down roads and streets that have either now disappeared or changed dramatically. As the remaining uncharted parts of the World were being discovered, some of these more adventuresome artists have left us with some dramatic and thought provoking scenes from around the World – as they were seen for the first time, many, many years ago.