The Earliest Known Map Of London

The Copperplate Map of London is the earliest known map of London. The map was made inward the 1550's together with was made inward xv copperplate sections. The 15 copper plates were used to impress newspaper copies of the map (none of which survive).

Unfortunately entirely iii of the master copy engraved copper plates survive. Two of the plates are owned yesteryear the Museum of London. If you lot are able to view the museum inward mortal you lot tin sentiment the Moorfields plate, which is on permanent display.


Unfortunately at that spot is no interactive mapped version of whatsoever of the iii surviving plates of the Copperplate Map. However, you lot tin sentiment an interactive version of the Agas Map. The Agas Map of London was made about 10 years later the Copperplate Map together with is a modified re-create of the master copy Copperplate Map.

The Agas Map depicts a London which is withal a walled metropolis together with where the banks of the Thames are dotted amongst ship pits together with playhouses. If you lot hold off at the Moorfields department of both maps you lot tin come across how the Agas Map is derived from the Copperplate Map.


Detail from the Copperplate Map (left) & Agas Map (right)

Both maps purpose the same bird's middle sentiment of London. Both maps demonstrate washerwomen together with practicing archers at operate inward the fields. Even the map labels together with their placement are almost identical inward both maps. This degree of derivation is evident throughout the Agas Map.

The Agas Map of Early Modern London is an interactive version of the Agas Map built using the OpenLayers platform. You tin pan together with zoom inward on the map together with you lot tin explore locations on the map using the location categories menu. For event if you lot plow on the streets layer you lot tin click on a route on the map to larn to a greater extent than well-nigh the selected route together with its etymology.

The Map of Early London website includes a comprehensive encyclopedia of London people, places together with topics featured inward or of import to the map. The interactive locations on the map connect amongst the encyclopedia. If you lot lead a location from the map or from the locations bill of fare you lot tin read a curt introduction to the location together with click through to read the sum encyclopedia entry.