Old Map of Somerset in 1575 by Christopher Saxton - Bath, Bristol, Wells

First engraved in 1575, this is the earliest printed map of Somersetshire, created by Christopher Saxton, the Yorkshire-born surveyor often called the father of English cartography. It formed part of Saxton's extraordinary countywide survey of England and Wales, undertaken with the backing of Elizabeth I's government and completed as a full county atlas by 1579 - the first of its kind ever produced. Bristol and Bath appear in the top corner of the sheet, already established as the county's great commercial and social centres, while the Mendip Hills stretch across the map's northern reaches, and a fine array of hundreds, parishes and market towns fill in the county below.

Wells, England's smallest cathedral city, sits close to the foot of the Mendips, not far from Glastonbury and the legendary Tor that has drawn pilgrims and storytellers for centuries. To the west, Taunton and Bridgwater anchor the flatter, wetter country of the Somerset Levels, watered by the River Parrett as it winds toward the Bristol Channel, while the Quantock Hills rise nearby, their heather-covered slopes a favourite even in Saxton's day. Further south and east, Frome and Yeovil mark out the county's more rural reaches, and Minehead sits on the coast where Somerset gives way to Exmoor. Saxton never surveyed with modern instruments, yet the shape of the county he recorded, from the Mendips down to the Levels, is still instantly recognisable today.

Reproduced as a handsome wall art print, this map brings more than four centuries of West Country history into a single image. It makes a wonderful anniversary gift for a couple who married in Bath or Bristol, and a thoughtful Mother's Day present for a mum who grew up anywhere between the Mendips and the Levels. It's equally at home as a housewarming gift for someone settling into a new home in Somerset, or as a Christmas present for a relative who has always loved Wells, Glastonbury or the Quantocks.