John Rocque, An Exact Surveyor: Part 1 A Plan of the Cities...

Come to this series of illustrated talks to discover more about John Rocque, his maps and the London they depict.

In 1746 John Rocque published his two most famous London maps. Two hundred and eighty years later, they are the most recognisable and widely used maps to illustrate this period. Capturing the city at a time of rapid expansion, the maps remain an invaluable record of Georgian London.

In Part 1 we will cover A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster, and Borough of Southwark. Surveyed by John Rocque and engraved by John Pine, this map depicts what we would today think of as Central London in fine detail.

First, we will admire it as a beautiful object and an impressive work of cartography. Then we will consider what it does and doesn’t tell us about a city on the brink of transition to becoming the largest city in the world and an imperial capital.

IMPORTANT: This talk will be taking place in-person only at The London Archives.

Please see individual listings to book tickets for each part of the series:

• Talk / John Roque, An Exact Surveyor: Part 1 - A Plan of the Cities / Thursday 9 April
• Talk / John Rocque, An Exact Surveyor: Part 2 Near Ten Miles Around - North / Thursday 14 May
• Talk / John Rocque, An Exact Surveyor: Part 3 Near Ten Miles Around - South / Thursday 11 June
• Document Viewing / John Rocque, An Exact Surveyor - See both Maps - Friday 19 June