A fascinating folding wall map of the City of London showing the latest improvements to 1890. New editions of this map were issued every year from 1885-1910, making this a valuable record of The City during the Victorian Era.

Most editions of this map have no printed date on the map itself, and precise dating can be difficult as there are often inconsistencies between examples purportedly from the same year. We have settled on a date of 1890-91 for our example thanks to the following details:

- The short-lived City & South London Railway station at King William Street is marked but not yet named and the railway is drawn with dashed lines suggesting that it was not yet operating. This branch line only operated from 1890 to 1900 when it was supplanted by the Northern Line's extension from Borough to Moorgate.
- Along the Victoria Embankment, the City of London School, Sion College, and the Guildhall School of Music are shown, but the City of London School for Girls (opened 1894) is not yet shown.
- Confusingly, the Doctor's Commons is still marked further along Queen Victoria Street, despite having been sold and demolished in the 1860s. At this point the site should be occupied by the Post Office Savings Bank which is shown on our example as owning the adjacent parcel of land as well as an extension on the other side of Knightrider Street. This extension was built between 1890 and 1894.
- Liverpool Street station is shown without its eight eastern platforms, the construction of which began in 1890.

All examples of this map are uncommon: the British Library holds only one example dated 1897. Three further examples are recorded at the University of London, Yale University, Cambridge University, and at least two other examples (both from the early 20th century) are known to be in private collections.

Overall, an important and attractive map of the City of London during a period of rapid development and renewal.

Original colour. Folded. [LDN6848]