Vintage Esso Map of Wales

Around the area

Wales occupies the full height of Taylor’s composition, from Anglesey in the north to the Bristol Channel below. Its western shore is open to the Irish Sea, while the eastern edge continues into neighbouring English counties. That wider setting matters: Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford are part of the road network through which many travellers would approach Wales. The map therefore presents a connected touring region rather than a country isolated within its borders.

The north offers a close arrangement of castles, coastal resorts and mountain routes. Holyhead and the roads across Anglesey lead towards the Menai Strait, with Beaumaris and Bangor nearby. Conwy and Llandudno mark the northern shore, while Caernarfon provides another prominent historical landmark. Inland, Betws y Coed and the country around Snowdon introduce a more rugged landscape. Taylor places recognisable buildings beside mountain sketches, allowing scenery and architecture to share the work of identifying a place.

The western coast continues around the Llŷn peninsula through Pwllheli and Criccieth, then towards Harlech and Barmouth. Farther south, Aberystwyth stands on Cardigan Bay, with Aberaeron and Cardigan continuing the coastal route. Inland roads lead through places such as Machynlleth, Dolgellau and Bala. Lakes and upland names interrupt the chain of settlements, making this central portion feel less densely built than the southern industrial districts. The changing balance of pictures helps convey the country’s regional contrasts.

Pembrokeshire introduces another distinctive coastline. Fishguard, St Davids and Haverfordwest lead the eye around a shore of projecting headlands and sheltered waters. Milford Haven and Pembroke occupy the southwest, while Tenby appears farther east. Taylor includes both ecclesiastical and military landmarks, but he also gives space to small coastal scenes. The effect encourages an unhurried circuit, with individual towns acting as starting points for nearby discoveries rather than merely stops on a single direct route.

Across the south, Carmarthen and Llanelli connect towards Swansea, Neath and Cardiff. The valleys inland are closely threaded with roads and settlements, including Merthyr Tydfil and the towns around the approaches to Newport. Their compact arrangement contrasts sharply with the open mountain country farther north. To the east, Monmouth, Chepstow and the Wye country provide a transition towards the border. Tintern appears among these landmarks, giving an architectural focus to this quieter river landscape.

Much of the map’s personality comes from its margins and annotations. Musicians and groups of figures accompany the heraldry, while quotations introduce voices and associations beyond straightforward topography. The title itself acknowledges neighbouring counties, and a distance table keeps the original motoring purpose in view. Yet the illustrations repeatedly encourage the traveller to pause. A castle can dominate a small town; a mountain can become the main feature between two roads. Read slowly, the sheet becomes a conversation between familiar names and less familiar details. It is particularly satisfying to trace a fondly remembered journey and see which places Taylor chose to celebrate, then follow a neighbouring road into another part of Wales that the viewer may still have waiting to discover on a future visit.