I was talking to the Librarian at tea a while back and the discussion turned to map digitisation. We haven’t added any maps to the digital mirror lately and he suggested that perhaps we should. As a result we are embarking on a programme to digitise both printed and manuscript items from the map collection.
We aim to create high quality zoomable images of some important items from the collection. The ability to zoom will allow users to view the fine detail of the map in a way not possible before.
Among the items to be digitised are some unique manuscript maps, such as the Saxton proof map of Wales and George Owen’s map of Pembrokeshire. We will also be digitising a number of printed antiquarian maps such as Humphrey Lhuyd’s map of Wales and the Speed and Saxton maps of Welsh counties.
In the next three weeks I am going to discuss some of these items in more detail; starting with this map:
Prima Europe tabula is one of the earliest printed maps of the British Isles, and the oldest item in the map collection. Published in 1486 in Ptolemy’s Geographia, it is notable for the vivid blue sea; still as fresh and vibrant as the day it was painted.
Claudius Ptolemy(2nd century) was one of the first cartographers. His work was rediscovered in Europe at the end of the 14th century. Printed copies of this work helped to kick-start the cartographic revolution in Europe in the 1500s.
Huw Thomas, Map Librarian