Old Map of Cornwall in 1611 by John Speed - Penzance, St Ives, Padstow

Published in 1611 as part of John Speed's celebrated atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine and engraved by Jodocus Hondius, this hand-coloured map depicts the ancient county of Cornwall at the dawn of the seventeenth century. The rugged southwest peninsula is drawn in a slightly different outline to the one we know today, reflecting the surveying knowledge available at the time, and coastal towns including Penzance, St Ives and Padstow already appear clearly marked. An inset engraving in the top corner of the map highlights Launceston, then considered the county's principal town, long before Truro rose to prominence as Cornwall's administrative and ecclesiastical centre in later centuries. The coat of arms of the reigning monarch appears prominently at the top of the sheet, a reminder that Speed's atlas was produced as much as a statement of national pride as a practical work of geography.

Speed's map is full of coastal detail that still resonates with anyone who knows Cornwall well today. Falmouth is marked under its earlier name of Penryn, while Redruth appears inland amid what would later become one of the world's most important tin and copper mining districts. Further along the coast, Lizard Point and Land's End mark the southernmost and westernmost extremities of England, and St Michael's Mount rises from the sea near Penzance just as it does today, its causeway and priory already long established. Curiously, Newquay is entirely absent from the map, since the town had not yet been founded in 1611, a reminder of just how much of Cornwall's familiar geography and identity developed long after Speed first put pen to paper.

This beautifully detailed print brings genuine historic character to any home, whether hung in a hallway, study or living room. It makes a wonderful birthday or anniversary gift for a couple with Cornish roots, a treasured Christmas present for a parent who spent childhood summers around Penzance or St Ives, or a heartfelt Father's Day gift for a dad who never tires of talking about Cornwall's coastline. It also makes a fitting housewarming gift for anyone setting up a new home with a nod to their West Country heritage. Anyone with a fondness for Falmouth, Redruth, Padstow or the wider Cornish peninsula will find this a distinctive and conversation-worthy addition to their walls, rich with detail to explore again and again.