Map of the Week! London in 1776

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London in 1776 (Click link below to view full sized map)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/3789830058/

The featured map this week is a 1776 city map of London, making it as old as the United States! It is found in a book called “A new and universal history, description and survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, the Borough of Southwark, and their adjacent parts” by Walter Harrison. As the title suggests, the book outlines the history of London and contains numerous drawings and maps of the city. There are many interesting locations displayed on the map, including:

London Bridge – Made famous by the nursery rhyme, London Bridge in the late 18th century was one of three places to cross the River Thames in the city. Harrison’s book featured drawings of the bridge in 1776, as well as drawings of when the bridge had buildings on it in the 1750s. London Bridge was torn down and rebuilt in 1831, and then again in 1972. The entire 1831 bridge was purchased in 1968 by an American named Robert McCulloch for two million dollars. McCulloch moved the bridge to Lake Havasu City in Arizona, where it is now the state’s second most popular tourist attraction.

Drawing of London Bridge from 1616 with buildings on it. The gate at the end of the bridge has the spiked heads of executed prisoners above it.

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Tower of London – One of the most famous landmarks in London, the Tower of London was built in 1078 and has been used for torture, imprisonment, and storage of England’s crown jewels. Famous prisoners at the tower of London include Sir Walter Raleigh and Saint Thomas Moore.

Tower of London

Buckingham Palace – Currently home to the British monarch, Buckingham Palace was simply known as the “Queen’s Palace” in the late 18th century. The palace was greatly expanded and renovated in the early 19th century.

Buckingham Palace in 2009

Buckingham Palace in 1710, referred to in the map as the “Queens Palace”

Introducing Outside the Neatline!

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About Outside the Neatline:

Outside the Neatline is a collaborative effort of graduate students who work at The University of Connecticut Libraries’ Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC). Our aim is to give the public a better understanding of what we actually do all day besides high-fiving each other when we find a neat new map. What we actually hope to illuminate is the usefulness of historic maps, digitally storing and displaying paper maps, and how they may be used in current mapping technologies.

Things to look forward to from Outside the Neatline include:

  • Featured Map of the Week – The staff’s favorite picks.
  • How in the World? – How the graduate students turn paper maps into digital wonders.
  • Did You Know? – General geography facts, definitions, and other tasty tidbits.
  • And More! – We’re open to suggestions, what do you want to see?
The main objective of Outside the Neatline is to provide our audience geographical knowledge in a fun and lighthearted way. So we hope you enjoy your visits to our site and please feel free to make this an interactive experience!

About the Authors:


Jeff Dunn earned his M.A. in Geography at West Virginia University and is currently a PhD student of Geography at the University of Connecticut. During semester breaks he works at MAGIC as a GIS Analyst scanning maps, georeferencing, and developing geography curriculum. Jeff’s specific areas of interests are in remote sensing and coastal geography. Outside of academics, Jeff is an avid fly fisher.



Brandon Cramer is a PhD student in Geography at the University of Connecticut. He received his M.A. in Geography from the University of Connecticut in 2008. Brandon is mainly interested in using geography to examine environmental and health issues. He has worked with government agencies to reduce agricultural pollution and analyze geographic disparities in disease and illness. Over winter and summer breaks Brandon is a GIS Analyst at MAGIC and works on scanning and georeferencing current maps and creating custom maps to fit users’ needs by special request.