Old Map of the Counties of England & Wales in 1827 by Anthony Finley - Westmorland, Sussex, Rutland

Published in 1827 by the cartographer and publisher Anthony Finley, this map presents the historic counties of England and Wales in one richly coloured sheet, each county picked out in its own wash of colour to make the old administrative map instantly readable at a glance. It captures England and Wales exactly as they were divided for centuries before later boundary reforms, from tiny Rutland in the East Midlands, the smallest county in England, to sprawling Yorkshire in the north and mountainous Westmorland in the Lake District. Sussex stretches along the south coast, while further west Cornwall tapers out into the Atlantic. It's a lovely, colourful survey of a version of England and Wales that, in administrative terms at least, no longer officially exists.

Look closely and the map rewards the eye with real topographic detail alongside the county boundaries. The jagged peaks of Snowdonia rise across north Wales, while the rounded hills of the Lake District dominate the far north-west, both drawn with enough care to give a real sense of the terrain beneath the county lines. Major towns and cities are marked throughout, from London anchoring the south-east and York standing as the historic capital of the north, to Manchester already growing fast as an industrial centre and Cardiff serving as the principal town of south Wales. Even smaller places such as St Ives in Cornwall find their way onto the map, a reminder that Finley was working from detailed source surveys rather than sketching the counties from memory.

This colourful map translates into a distinctive piece of wall art, ideal as a gift for anyone who takes pride in where they're from. It's a lovely birthday or Christmas present for someone with strong ties to Westmorland, Sussex, Rutland or any other county on the sheet, and it makes a genuinely personal retirement gift for someone finally settling back in their home county after years away. It also works beautifully as an anniversary present for a couple who want to mark the counties where they grew up or first met.