Old Map of Wales 1580 by Christopher Saxton - Cardiff, Swansea, Snowdonia

This extraordinary map of Wales was compiled in 1580 by Christopher Saxton, widely regarded as the father of British cartography. It was one of the earliest attempts to accurately chart the country, and although it was never formally published in its own right, much of its detail went on to inform Saxton's later, larger map of England and Wales. Remarkably, only a single original copy of this map survives today, held by the National Library of Wales, making any reproduction of it a genuine piece of cartographic history.

Many of Wales' best-known towns and cities are already recorded here, even if spelled a little differently to how we'd write them today - Brecon appears as "Breknok" and Pembrokeshire as "Penbrokshire." Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Denbigh, Caernarfon, Carmarthen, Bangor, Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye are all marked, alongside rivers, mountains and villages rendered in Saxton's charmingly simple style.

This one-of-a-kind piece of Welsh history makes a memorable birthday, Christmas or housewarming gift for anyone from Wales, or anyone who holds the country close to their heart.