A map of the Tower Liberty

Medium: Engraving
Date: 1754

This plan was published in John Strype's 1755 annotated edition of Stowe's 'Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster'. The plan is in four sections. The title appears along the top, with a bird's-eye view of the Tower of London, scale bar and reference tables in the main section on the left of the plate. The compass star features in the middle, with small plans of Marine Square, Little Minories and 'Spittle Fields' on the right of the plate. The word "liberties" in the title refers to the area around the Tower under its independent jurisdiction. Until 1686, the liberties of the Tower were restricted to the area within its walls and the land on Tower Hill. Three territories were added by James II's charter of 1686: the Minories, the Artillery Ground and the Wellclose.