Plan Of The Cities Of London And Westminster ... Southwark ...
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Folio. Key map, 16 copperplate engraved pages (each comprising two sheets joined). 1/4 calf and paper boards, scuffed and somewhat worn. Extending from Chelsea to Mile End and from Kennington to the Angel, this map is described by Howgego as, "The Largest And Most Important Map Of London From The Eighteenth Century." The survey took no less than nine years to complete with every house shown (with its street number, if it had one), alleyways, courts and even vacant plots. Among the subscribers were the directors of the Phoenix Assurance Office to whose trustees and directors Horwood dedicated the map. At the massive scale of 26 inches to one mile it would have repaid the insurers' investment, affording detailed knowledge of London's potential fire risks. This example is of the first state with date imprints on the sheets ranging from 1794 until 1799. The Horwood map did not have a 'key' general map and this set of sheets is bound with "A Plan Of The Cities of London & Westminster, The Borough Of Southwark And Their Suburbs By William Faden Geogr. To The King MDCCLXXXV", 27 x 19.5 ins (Howgego,180), marked with a grid and annotated to act as a key plate. Faden's map, itself scarce and interesting, was engraved by William Palmer with an ornamental title cartouche at upper left with the figure of Old Father Thames. Despite the worn binding, the contents are in generally good condition with minimal signs of wear. A fascinating and important record of a great city two hundred years ago.
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