The London Directory map of 1775 displayed in a black frame
Reference table and geometrical diagram explaining how to find the Royal Exchange on the London Directory map
St Paul’s Cathedral, City streets and Thames stairs on the London Directory map
The London Directory of 1775, showing London, Westminster and Southwark with a reference table below
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Old Maps of London – Late 1700’s

£39.95

The London Directory, published by Robert Sayer, 1775

This old map of London combines a detailed street plan with a practical guide to the capital’s churches and public buildings. Westminster, the City and Southwark spread around the Thames, with the Tower of London clearly drawn beside the river and open ground still visible beyond the closely packed streets.

St Paul’s Cathedral stands out within the City, while the Thames can be followed past Westminster, Blackfriars and London Bridge. St James’s Park and Green Park provide breathing space in the west. South of the river, the plan shows streets extending into a less densely built landscape around Lambeth and Newington.

The table beneath the map is one of its most interesting features. Lettered divisions around the border let readers locate churches and public buildings without a printed grid obscuring the streets. A small “Geometrical Explanation” demonstrates the method using the Royal Exchange: extend the relevant border lines in your imagination to find the square containing the building.

The main heading dates this edition to 1775 and advertises new buildings, roads and alterations through the opening and widening of streets. Its lightly coloured river and densely engraved street network make an attractive fine art print, while the reference table invites a closer look at how eighteenth-century Londoners found their way around.

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The London Directory was designed as a usable plan as well as a record of the growing capital. The edition reproduced here carries the date 1775 in its heading. Its reference table and border divisions help readers move from a named church or public building to its position among the streets.

Map Details

  • Original title: The London Directory, or a New & Improved Plan of London, Westminster & Southwark
  • Publisher: Robert Sayer
  • Publication: London, 1775
  • Publisher’s address: 53 Fleet Street
  • Area shown: London, Westminster, Southwark and adjoining ground
  • Format: Engraved street plan with a table of churches and public buildings
  • Reference system: Lettered border divisions and a diagram explaining how to locate buildings

A guide to churches and public buildings

The rows beneath the plan list institutions alongside reference letters. The visible entries include the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, Westminster Hall, Burlington House and Marlborough House. These names place entertainment, government and prominent residences within the same practical guide.

Rather than covering the streets with grid lines, the map marks divisions around its edges. The diagram headed “A Geometrical Explanation” shows how those divisions intersect. Its worked example locates the Royal Exchange, making the table’s method visible rather than leaving the reader to decipher the letters unaided.

The capital and its open edges

The City’s dense streets contrast with the spaces around the edge of the plan. St Paul’s Cathedral has a recognisable footprint, and the Tower’s enclosure is prominent farther east beside the Thames. Parks occupy the western side, while fields and roads beyond the northern streets show where continuous building gave way to more open ground.

Across the river, Southwark forms a substantial district, but the land farther south is more open. Roads radiate towards the edge of the map, linking built-up areas with the ground beyond them. The named riverside stairs shown in the City detail also make access to the Thames part of the street plan.

An edition dated 1775

The heading emphasises new buildings, new roads and changes made by opening and widening streets. It presents London as a place whose layout required revision. The British Library’s catalogued 1775 example names Robert Sayer at 53 Fleet Street as publisher; the Catalogue of British Town Maps also records this edition within Sayer’s London Directory sequence.

Supplied unframed.

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