Old Map of Cambridge in 1575 by Georg Braun - Trinity, King's, Queens'

Published in 1575 by Georg Braun and engraved by Frans Hogenberg for their great atlas of world cities, the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, this is one of the very first printed maps of Cambridge, shown here under its Latin name, Cantabrigia. It presents the town in bird's-eye view, its narrow medieval streets and the River Cam threading through the middle of the picture, at a date when the university had already been the beating heart of the town for well over three centuries. Cambridge appears not as a modern city but as a compact market town built almost entirely around its colleges, with the surrounding fields visible right up to the edge of the built-up area.

The great chapel of King's College dominates the skyline, much as it still does today, while nearby the map picks out Trinity, then still a relatively young foundation formed from the merger of older halls, and Queens', with its own famous cloisters beside the Cam. Older foundations such as Peterhouse, Clare, Pembroke and Corpus Christi are shown among the town's tangle of lanes, alongside Jesus, Christ's, St John's and Magdalene, the latter sitting on the far side of the river from the main cluster of colleges. Great St Mary's Church, the university church, stands close to the market at the town's centre, a landmark that still anchors Cambridge today.

Printed as an elegant wall art piece, this map is a wonderful way to celebrate a connection to Cambridge, whatever form that takes. It makes a memorable graduation gift for a Cambridge student heading out into the world, and an equally fitting birthday or Christmas present for an alumnus, academic or lifelong Cambridge resident. It also works beautifully as a retirement gift for a lecturer or college fellow closing out a career in the city, or as a thoughtful present for anyone who simply loves the history of England's ancient university towns.