This is a rare 1795 folding pocket map or street plan of London, England by Carrington Bowles. Covers London on both sides of the Thames River from Hyde Park in the west to White Horse Street in the East and from Lambeth in the south to Islington in the North. Offers superb detail throughout often noting individual buildings, gardens, and estates. Table along the bottom notes principle buildings and churches. Bowles first issued this plan in 1777 and updated it regularly to the end of the 18th century. This edition of the map was issued shortly after Bowles's death by his firm, Bowles and Carver, from their offices at No. 69 St. Paul's Church Yard, London.
The Bowles family (fl. c. 1714 - 1832) were publishers and map sellers active in London from c. 1714 to c. 1832. The firm, under Thomas Bowles ( fl. 1714 - 1763), John Bowles (1701-1779), Carrington Bowles (1724 - 1793), and as Bowles and Carver (fl. 1794 - 1832), produced a massive corpus of work that included numerous atlases, pocket maps , and wall maps. The Bowles publishing tradition was kept alive over four generations starting with Thomas Bowles who was a print engraver in the late 17th century. The first maps issued by the firm were actually produced by his son, Thomas Bowles the second, who based in self in St. Paul's Churchyard, London. Thomas's brother, John Bowles (called "Old John Bowles" or "Black Horse Bowles" by those who knew his shop), was also an active publisher and was established at no. 13 Cornhill. It is said that he was one of the first publishers of William Hogarth's works. It was here that John's son, Carrington Bowles, was introduced to the trade. Carrington took over the Cornhill bookshop and eventually merged it with his uncles shop in St. Paul's Churchyard. On Carrington's death in 1793, the business was passed to his son Henry Carrington Bowles, who partnered with Samuel Carver, renaming the firm, Bowles and Carver. Under this imprint the firm continued to publish maps and atlases until the early 1830s. Learn More...
Good condition. Dissected into 16 sections and mounted on linen. Original linen backing exhibits considerable wear and is splitting in places. In some places, particularly at the fold intersections at the center of the map, there is minor loss - see image. Else a very nice example.