Literary Topographies and Historical City Maps: Bristol, Swansea, London

The production of urban maps in Britain is largely an early modern phenomenon, arising out of the Tudor political project of creating a single nation called England that covered the whole of the island of Britain. Before then, medieval city descriptions formed verbal maps of towns which performed much the same function as cartographical maps. In the medieval project of mapping territory, whether visual or verbal, towns were major points of reference, standing as witnesses to historical and geographical claims of nation and empire. This talk will explore some classical and medieval urban descriptions with particular reference to the medieval cities of Bristol, Swansea and London. The medieval streets of each of these cities have recently been mapped in newly-published OS-style maps produced by the Historic Towns Trust, and the talk will use these maps to show how verbal descriptions can be turned into cartographic designs.

This talk is FREE to attend and open to all. Please book your FREE ticket as the venue has limited capacity.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Lord Mayor's Chapel, Park Street, Bristol, United Kingdom