An Edwardian facsimile of a twelve-sheet map of London after the Fire

A full-size facsimile of a huge, rare and extremely important map of London, the earliest extant large scale survey (an inch to 300 feet), the largest until John Rocque's map of 1746. Surveying started a decade after the Great Fire of London of 1666, headed by John Ogilby, but his death in 1676 led to his step-grandson, William Morgan, taking over the work, which took six years to finish. Underneath is a prospect of London reaching from Westminster to Shadwell. Around the map are inset details, including elevations of Westminster Abbey, Whitehall Palace (16 years before it too burned down) and an artist's impression of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, long before completion. Ogilby's contribution is commemorated by a scene of him presenting his list of subscribers to Charles II, his patron. Like all wall maps of this period the original is exceedingly rare. This facsimile was copied from the example in the Crace Collection, now in the British Library, but it is a sign of its rarity that it is a 'marriage': the map is from the original edition, but the prospect has the signature of Robert Morden and Philip Lea, who acquired the plates c.1692.