Old Map of the Lake District in 1899 by Edward Stanford - Windermere, Keswick, Kendal

Stanford's Map of the English Lake District was produced in 1899 by the cartographer and publisher Edward Stanford, at a time when this corner of Cumbria was becoming increasingly popular with tourists, walkers and early mountaineers drawn to its lakes and fells. Stanford was renowned for the precision of his surveying, and this map offers a detailed and accurate record of the region just as it was entering its modern era as a destination for outdoor recreation.

The map carefully delineates the district's lakes, among them Windermere, Ullswater, Derwent Water, Coniston Water, Bassenthwaite Lake, Thirlmere, Buttermere, Grasmere and Rydal Water, each standing out against the surrounding uncoloured land. Its mountains are marked with equal care, including Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and Great Gable, alongside the market towns of Kendal, Keswick, Ambleside and Penrith that have long served the surrounding valleys and fells.

A map of this kind makes an excellent gift for a keen hillwalker or climber, a retirement present for someone planning to spend more time in the fells, a wedding or anniversary gift for a couple who honeymooned in the Lakes, or a Christmas present for a lover of the English countryside. The fine detail of Stanford's original survey, down to the smallest lake and fell name, has been carefully restored for this print.