London: Urbium Londini et West Monasterii c.1736 by Heirs Homann

The map presents a long stretch of the Thames from the Limehouse Dock to Westminster and Grosvenor Square, showing built-up areas on both sides of the river. Not only main but also numerous smaller street and passages are named, as well as wards and districts. Important buildings are highlighted and the Thames itself is decorated with drawings of ships and barges. Large panels present engravings of the city’s four already famous sights, including St Paul’s and St James’s Square. Map legend and the accompanying notes are in Latin and German, and also provided is a little English – German glossary.

This reproduction was taken from what used to be called a “cloth-dissected” map, made when the map itself was cut into sections and each section then individually pasted onto an overall cloth backing for the whole map. In this version the whole map is backed onto cloth in one piece but the gaps between the sections have been reproduced in the printing to preserve the style and the feeling of the original.

Each individual cloth-backed map is sold folded in a colourful case covered with a unique design marbled paper – no two cases are identical.