29.     John Wood                                                                                 1840

 

John Wood was born c. 1780-85 based on his wife, Margaret Norris, whose age in the 1841 census was given as 55-59 and they married in Edinburgh on 27th September' 1811. In 1813 he was already working as a land surveyor of Greenhill, near Edinburgh. In 1818 he began the surveys of towns which led him to travelling extensively throughout the British Isles.

From 1819 to 1826 he published 50 plans of Scottish towns and in 1828 he issued the Town Atlas of Scotland, a volume of 48 Scottish town plans, along with a Companion containing descriptive text about each of the towns included. [1]

From 1826 Wood spent much, or most, of his time on plans of English and Welsh towns. In the first two years he surveyed northern towns including Scarborough and Whitby, and then moved south to do Boston and Newark in 1829, and Kings Lynn, Wisbech and North­ampton in 1830. His engravers seem to have been based in Edinburgh so it is surmised that he returned to Edinburgh every year to draw a fair copy of each plan.

For the next few years Wood moved southwards and westwards throughout England and Wales arriving in the westcountry about 1840 in which year he completed plans of Cardiff, Taunton, Tiverton and Exeter. Kingsbridge and Torquay (two different maps) followed in 1841. Plans of Launceston, Bideford, Tavistock, Teignmouth and Brixham are dated 1842, and plans of Barnstaple, Newton Abbot and Great Torrington, 1843.[2]

He seems to have returned to Edinburgh in 1842. By 1847 his health had given way and he died on 11th July 1847 at Portobello, a seaside suburb of Edinburgh. .

This is a plan of the City of Exeter from actual survey – in this case for the Exeter Improvement Commissioners – by Wood. It shows ward and parish boundaries and accompanies a valuation of houses and land made in 1838 by Rowe, Cornish & Hooper. The population figure included of 31,344 for Exeter is taken from Besley's Chronicle. Also indicated are the names of the owners of land surrounding the city's built-up areas. The map is detailed and almost certainly used by later map-makers, e.g. Besley and Warren's map (see 31). 

Title: A Plan of EXETER from an actual survey.

Size: 675 x 805 mm.

Signature:   John Wood, surveyor, 34, Paul Street, Exeter. 

Covering an area from St. Thomas to Polsloe Park and from Alphington Gate to Elliot Cottage the plan shows the higher and lower markets, Atwell's Almshouses and Victoria Park. Mount Radford and Clifton Road (Workhouse) are largely developed and Longbrook appears to be underground from the Iron Bridge to the Exe (this and the Shitbrook were partly covered in 1843). The buildings on the Great Shilhay include the Foundry replacing the woollen industry. The new roads have a slightly different alignment to previous maps.

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[1] All information on John Wood’s life is from: THE EARLY MAPS OF SCOTLAND To 1850 By A Committee of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society; Third Edition; Volume 2; Published by The Royal Scottish Geographical Society; Edited by D G Moir; Edinburgh; 1983. pages 282-283. 

[2] My thanks to Martin Ebdon (personal communication) for the list of Devon towns covered by John Wood.

 57.     Cassell & Co. Ltd  II                                                                  1888 

Amongst many railway publications and timetables published by the various operators a few were issued with maps. From 1888 Cassell & Co. published The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway. This guide contained a number of maps (including a county map of Devon; B&B 165) and plans of railway stations, including Exeter and Plymouth. 

Title: PLAN OF EXETER

Size: 130 x 200 mm. No Scale.

Imprints: London and South Western Railway Official Guide and Cassell & Company, Limited, London. 

The plan can be found in The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway published in London by Cassell & Co., Ltd. First issued in 1888 it was most probably published annually but only reissues of 1889 and 1891 are known.

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 58.     Kelly / Bryer                                                                                 1889

 

In 1799 Frederick Festus Kelly, His Majesty’s Inspector of Inland Letter carriers, created the Post Office London Directory. In 1802 Kelly & Co. was launched and c.1845 began the production of county directories. Devon first appeared in 1856 with a county map executed by the Becker company (B&B 132). This was reissued at c.5-yearly intervals with updated maps. The last issue of the directory seen with Becker’s map is that of 1873. For the next issue of 1883 a new map was engraved and lithographed by F Bryer (B&B 159). When this was reissued in 1889 (illustrated) inset plans of Exeter and Plymouth had been added to the map. 

Title: PLAN OF EXETER – inset to Kelly’s Map of Devon (top right)

Size: 107 x 123 mm with Scale 2 Inches to 1 Mile (= 50 mm).

Imprint below complete map: London: Kelly’s Directory Office, 51 Gt. Queen Street. 

The simple plan covers an area from Exwick (top left) to Wonford (bottom right) with only main roads and the rail lines being shown.

Kelly reissued his directories at roughly four year intervals. The words To Exmouth were added to that railway line for the 1893 issue. There was no further change in the later issues (1897 and 1900).

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 63.     Ward  & Lock II                                                                          1898 

Ward and Lock´s original plan of Exeter (see 55 above) was obviously inadequate and in 1898 a new plan, drawn and engraved by George Philip and Son was included when Ward and Lock published their first guide dedicated to Exeter. This plan first appeared in A Pictorial and Descriptive Guide To Exeter published in London, New York, and Melbourne by Ward, Lock and Co., Ltd. There was a Second Edition in 1900. 

Title: PLAN OF EXETER above map centrally.

Size: 140 x 190 mm with a Scale of 1/4 Mile (1/4 = 31 mm).

Imprint: WARD, LOCK & Co LTD, WARWICK HOUSE, SALISBURY SQ, LONDON

Signature: George Philip & Son, London & Liverpool.

A simple map of the city centre from St. David’s Station and St. Thomas to the workhouse in the east. Only important and public buildings shown and no residential development. The new theatre at the junction of Longbrook Street and New North Road is shown (opened October 1886) and the Electricity Station built in 1889.[1]

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^[1] Illustration reproduced by kind permission of Devon Archives & Local Studies - .sB/EXE/1898/NEW

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