Town: Prints and Drawings of Britain Before 1800

The eighteenth century saw the growth of provincial towns in Britain, with ports, industrial centres, and market towns flourishing. The Gough collection in the Bodleian Library provides a visual record of this development, with contemporary prints and drawings and finely drawn prospects and maps. Richard Gough's observations add insight into the period.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 17 November 2020
Publisher: Bodleian Library

Provincial towns in Britain experienced significant growth and prominence during the eighteenth century. Cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool witnessed substantial expansion, while industrial hubs like Birmingham and Manchester thrived. Market towns outside London, such as Bath, Newmarket, and Portsmouth, emerged as commercial centers or destinations offering spa treatments, horse racing, and naval services. Drawing on the extensive Gough collection in the Bodleian Library, this book features over 100 images of towns in England, Wales, and Scotland. Contemporary prints and drawings provide a vivid visual record of the town's development during this period, while finely drawn prospects and maps, made with greater accuracy than ever before, reveal their early development. Additionally, the book includes perceptive observations from the journals and letters of collector Richard Gough (1735–1809), who traveled throughout the country on the cusp of the industrial age.

Weight: 1512g
Dimension: 287 x 247 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781851245178