This wonderful old map of the railways of England and Wales was originally published in 1881. It was created by AK Johnson.
This handcoloured map shows the intertwining railway routes across England and Wales. Train lines played an important role in Britain's development during the 19th century.
By making the railway available, people were able to migrate from the countryside to the cities, they were able to travel farther through the country and were able to transport heavy goods easier at a lower cost.
Handily, each of the lines is coloured differently. South Western is red, Great Eastern is mauve, etc.
One of the longest routes along the map extends from Carlisle all the way to London, which would have taken you days by carriage!
This map looks great at all sizes: 12x16in (30.5x41cm), 18x24in (45.5x61cm), 16x20in (40.5x51cm), 24x36in (61x91.5cm), 30x40in (76x101.5cm), 37x50in (94x127cm), 45x60in (114x152.5cm) and 52x70in (132x178cm), but it looks even better when printed large.
I can create beautiful, large prints of this map up to 80in (203cm). Please get in touch if you're looking for larger, customised or different framing options.
The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45.5x61cm) version of this map.
The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, another option would be this amazing map of the Railways and Canals of the British Isles by Archibald Fullarton and Co. in 1872.
The locations on this map include: London, Birmingham, Peterborough, Leeds, York, Manchester, Liverpool, Shrewsbury, Cardiff, Hereford, Dover, Great Eastern Railway, Great Western Railway, Midland Railway, South Western Railway, London & North Western Railway, Great Northern Railway, London's Metropolitan Railway and London's District Railway.
Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.
This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving or housewarming gift for someone interested in the railways of England and Wales or the history of transport in Britain.
This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.