Old Map of County Durham in 1611 by John Speed - Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland

First published in 1611 as part of John Speed's landmark atlas, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, and engraved by Jodocus Hondius, this map presents the county of Durham as it stood at the start of the seventeenth century. The cathedral city of Durham, set on a loop of the River Wear, forms the centrepiece of the map, with the market towns of Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees and Bishop Auckland marked to the south, and the growing port of Sunderland shown to the east where the Wear meets the North Sea.

The map reflects a county already defined by its rivers and its remarkable architecture. Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, standing together on their rocky peninsula above the Wear, were already centuries old by 1611 and remain among the finest Norman buildings in England. To the west, Barnard Castle is marked above the River Tees, which forms much of the county's southern boundary, while Chester-le-Street appears along the old route linking Durham to Newcastle further north. Together these details capture a county whose towns grew up around its two great rivers, the Wear and the Tees, long before coal and industry transformed the region.

This map of County Durham makes a striking piece of wall art for any home with a connection to the North East, whether displayed in a hallway, study or living room. It is a fitting retirement gift for someone returning to settle near Durham or Darlington, a heartfelt Mother's Day gift for a mother raised in Sunderland or Stockton-on-Tees, and a thoughtful Christmas gift for family who have moved away from the region. Supplied unframed on high-quality paper, it brings genuine seventeenth-century character into modern interiors.