Old Maps of Great Britain
Explore our collection of old maps of Great Britain and the British Isles, including richly decorated early maps, historic surveys and detailed views of England, Scotland and Wales.
The collection records changing kingdoms, coastlines, county boundaries, roads and settlements across several centuries of British cartography. It includes works by celebrated mapmakers such as John Speed, Joan Blaeu and later surveyors, offering both historical interest and distinctive wall art.
Our fine art editions are printed individually in Cornwall using archival pigment inks on heavy textured art paper.
Maps of Great Britain bring the whole island into a single view. Mountain ranges, river systems, county divisions and major towns can be read in relation to one another, while the surrounding seas give the coastline unusual visual strength. Some maps extend to Ireland and the smaller islands, creating a wider portrait of the British Isles.
Kingdoms, Unions and Identity
The political meaning of Britain changed across the centuries in which these maps were produced. England and Scotland were distinct kingdoms before sharing a monarch and later entering political union; Wales was represented through its historic counties; Ireland might be included within a broader island group or mapped separately. Titles, borders and heraldry reveal how each publisher framed those relationships for contemporary readers.
From Ornament to Survey
Earlier maps often combine geography with royal arms, ships, figures and elaborate cartouches. Later works generally place greater emphasis on road networks, measured positions and administrative detail. Neither approach is merely decorative or technical: each reflects the available evidence, publishing conventions and expectations of its own period.
A Broad Connection with Britain
A map of Great Britain is well suited to families whose associations cross several counties or nations, and to anyone seeking a single image that represents the island as a whole. It can also provide a strong centrepiece for a study, hallway or living room. Fine art reproduction preserves the engraved lines, old lettering and subtle variation of the source map.
