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24 April 2010

The Beauty of Maps

I love looking at maps; especially old ones. I have various maps of London pinned to the wall behind me as I write this and along the hallway walls.
One of the first books of London I ever bought was 'The History of London in Maps' and I lost myself for hours comparing the old with the new. Booth's poverty map, in particular, is fascinating.
So, this week I have really been enjoying BBC2's programmes 'The Beauty of Maps', which ties in beautifully with the British Library's free exhibition 'Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art' due to open on April 30th.
I am also pleased to see that Stephen Walter's contemporary personal maps of London are also included in the exhibition. I love his work and if I had a few spare £1000s (and more walls) I would have love to be able to buy his complete London map, but I have had to make do with just the 'Islington' section.
Clockwise from top left:
Piccadilly Station ticket hall; information board in Berkeley Square; Chris Marshall's 'Circumsphere', Deptford; pre-1920 tube map (LRT Acton depot); Streetmap of Holloway N7; Stephen Walter's 'Islington'; Cockspur Street, which was once lined with travel companies; Highbury Vale (thanks to Bikertect for this pic)

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Thanks, Jane