The second plate (no.22) of four covering the road from London to Holyhead. Copied directly from Ogilby’s larger and less portable Britannia and reduced for one of three ‘ pocket editions ‘ published, due to popular demand, within the space of two years – albeit over forty years after Ogilby’s original survey.

At some point in the past the map has been carefully laid on card ; there is some light marginal discolouration in places and some tears to the edges.

A reduction of Dr. Thomas Congreve’s larger plan of 1717 accompanying his ‘Proposal for making a Navigable Communication between the Rivers of Trent and Severn’.

The first in a series of road maps issued intermittently between 1765 and at least 1775 some of which are credited to the engraver Thomas Bowen. Chester is given as 182 miles from London implying a scale of roughly three miles to the inch. Showing windmills, paper mills, water mills, gibbets, brine pits as well as distances, gentleman’s houses and halls.

An uncommon edition of Blome’s smaller map of Staffordshire with north to the right. Features the arms of Walter Chetwynd of Ingestre and shows plate number 34 top right.

A good example, in original full wash hand colouring, of this finely engraved map. Turnpike roads and and an extensive network of navigable canals are featured as well as the ‘ railway ‘ (i.e. tramway) built to carry limestone from the quarries at Caldon to the canal terminus at Froghall Basin.

The very rare first printing by Robert Rowe of a clear, detailed and visually appealing map of the county subsequently published, in its engraved form, by Henry Teesdale between 1829 and 1842, and lithographically, by Henry George Collins and B.Clarke between 1848 and 1852.

A very good example, free of the heavy offsetting so often found with this map. Opened in 1771, although not completed until 1777 with the construction of the Harecastle Tunnel, the Trent and Mersey Canal was engineered by James Brindley, part of his ambitious plan to connect the four major rivers of central England.

“with a Collateral Cut to the Coal Mines at Wednesbury.” Engineered by James Brindley and opened in 1772 it was the first section of what became the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

A good example, with only the slightest pale offsetting so often found with this map. Surveyed in 1769 by James Brindley.

The Erewash Canal – surveyed in 1776 by J.Smith. A good example, with only the lightest offsetting so often found with this map.

A fine untouched original example.

A rare item : the final incarnation of Bowen and Kitchin’s Atlas Anglicanus of 1767 and the end of the rococo style of county atlas engraving.

Engraved by Abraham Goos or Pieter van den Keere based on Hondius’s map from the Atlas Minor first issued 1607.

A large, detailed and beautifully engraved map of Staffordshire showing turnpike roads, toll bars, canals, railways, wind mills and water mills as well as towns, villages, castles, priories, churches, chapels, hills and rivers. Some light dusting to blank margins. A very good example.

One of the few Speed plans to highlight any sort of leisure activity – in this instance angling. Might that be a young Izaak Walton in the bottom right corner?

An attractive early edition of Speed’s map of Staffordshire with town plans of Stafford and Lichfield and an account of the battle of Blore Heath in 1459.

Uncommon in its early editions.

A striking map of Staffordshire based on the William Smith map of 1602-3 aligned with north to the right. A little soft creasing. A very nice example with unusually generous margins. As an aside it illustrates yet another variant on the spelling of Birmingham: ‘Brimincham’.