Early A - Z of London

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  • Intro

    This map is the 17th century equivalent of a London A–Z. During the 1600s London expanded rapidly. As merchants and traders flocked to the city, new buildings were constructed, and coffee houses and theatres buzzed with activity. This map was designed to help ‘country men’ find their way around the capital’s tangled streets. The inscription reads: ‘A guide for Cuntrey men In the famous Cittey of LONDON by the helpe of wich plot they shall be able to know how farr it is to any Street’. Just 13 years later, London would be completely transformed after much of it was destroyed in the Great Fire. The list of street names, including Grub streete, Gutter Lane, Milke streete, Thredneedle street and Pie Corner, give a vivid insight into the chaos of the city’s smells, textures and products.

     

    Shelfmark: Maps. Crace I

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