1839 Bradshaw Railroad Map of Great Britain

Here in its rare first edition, this 1839 map of Great Britain by George Bradshaw is considered to be the first comprehensive railroad map. The map covers all of Great Britain as well as parts of the Hebrides and Ireland. Complete railroad lines are identified in strong red, while lines under construction or proposed, such as the 'Northern and Eastern Railway' and the 'Manchester and Birmingham Extension', appear in yellow. It is of note that, while this my no means the first map to show a railroad, it is, in the words of map historian Rodney Shirley,

undoubtedly the first large scale map to treat railways as the primary subject in terms of content and presentation.

… and indeed the map is magnificent in size and presentation, comprehensive in scope, and extensive it is meticulous attention to detail. In addition to the map proper, there are 32 profile sections illustrating elevation for each major railway. An inset map of London and vicinity appears in the lower left quadrant.

The Development of British Railroads

Great Britain was fast to adapt to railroad technology, constructing one of the world's first large scale railroad networks. Nonetheless, despite rapid growth, a proper comprehensive railroad map was not available until Bradshaw compiled this work. 1839 was an important year for British Railroads. In that year the important 'London and Birmingham' line was completed and, one year later, the 'Great Western' began operations. In 1830, when Bradshaw began publishing railroad guides in Manchester, the network of passenger railways could claim only about 100 miles of track (some under construction), by the end of the decade, when this map was published, there were more than 2000 miles of working track.

Publication History and Census

The present example is the first edition, published in January 14,1839, or as Bradshaw, whose Quaker religious values did not allow him to use pagan-inspired month names, called it, the '1st Mo. 14.' The map was subsequently updated and revised near annually until at least 1847. The map is dedicated to the Scottish civil engineer James Walker (1781 - 1862), then president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. This was Bradshaw's greatest accomplishment and accordingly appears prominently behind him in his portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The engraving is generally attributed to John Dower, although we have not been able to identify Dower's imprint anywhere on the work. It is accompanied by Bradshaw's 'Address to the Public' and a 27 page letterpress Tables of the Gradients.

This map is rare in its first edition. We have identified examples at the University of British Columbia, The National Library of Scotland, and the Huntington Library. Other holdings are typically later editions.