Old Map of Cambridge

Produced in 1929, this colourful old map of Cambridge was drawn by Spencer G. Hoffman and published by George Philip & Son. It was the first map in Philip’s distinctive “Wayabout” series of pictorial maps, which combined practical visitor information with lively illustrations of notable buildings and local landmarks.

Map Details

• Original title: Cambridge
• Mapmaker: Spencer G. Hoffman
• Publisher: George Philip & Son Ltd, London
• Date: 1929
• Series: No. 1 of Philip’s “Wayabout” Series of Pictorial Maps
• Format: Colour pictorial town plan
• Coverage: Central Cambridge, the university colleges and surrounding neighbourhoods

The historic centre of Cambridge is presented as an engaging bird’s-eye plan rather than a strictly measured street map. Buildings are enlarged and illustrated individually, helping visitors recognise the university’s colleges, churches and principal civic landmarks.

Cambridge’s colleges are identified by numbered shield symbols linked to the key beneath the map. The plan includes many of the university’s best-known institutions, including King’s, Trinity, St John’s, Queens’, Jesus, Peterhouse, Pembroke, Christ’s and Emmanuel colleges.

The River Cam winds through the western side of the city, passing the colleges and landscaped grounds now collectively known as the Backs. Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and Parker’s Piece provide prominent open spaces among the closely packed streets and university buildings.

Separate references identify Cambridge’s churches and important university and town buildings. The railway station, main routes into the city and roads leading towards nearby settlements are also shown, making the map useful to the contemporary visitor while retaining a strongly decorative character.

Two coats of arms crown the design, while a compass rose, hand-lettered place names and individually drawn buildings give the map its distinctive period appearance. Hoffman’s illustrations capture Cambridge at the end of the 1920s, when pictorial maps were becoming popular as attractive and accessible guides for tourists.

Because the map was designed to entertain and inform, its scale and perspective are intentionally flexible. Streets, colleges and landmarks are arranged for clarity and visual interest rather than precise navigation. The result is an appealing portrait of interwar Cambridge and a particularly suitable gift for graduates, alumni, residents and admirers of the university city.