Birmingham Town Plan Gallery

Old Map of Birmingham 1834 by John Dower and William Orr

A highly detailed reproduction city map of Birmingham originally published in London, 1834. Interestingly it shows the planned route of the Grand Junction Railway coming into the North of Birmingham, before the route was changed. Highly respected throughout England and Western Europe, William S. Orr was an early nineteenth century printseller and publisher, particularly of atlases and gazetteers. His maps of cities, counties and countries are noteworthy for their accuracy and very fine detailing. Indeed, few publishers from this period could compete with Orr for the large amount of information his maps contained. This original engraved map hails from Orr's 1834 Atlas, which contained not only all the regions of the world but plans of the primary cities as well. The engraving for the 1834 Atlas was entrusted mainly to the Pentonville artist, John Dower. Dower was well known for his maps and for his engravings of military scenes. So finely engraved is this map of Birmingham that one can only appreciate Dower's work with the aid of a magnifying lens. No finer example of early nineteenth century cartography exists than this engraved city map with it's inset engraving of the Town Hall and reference key of major buildings. John Dower and William S. Orr were highly respected mapmakers, print sellers, and publishers of early 19th century London. Their work is known for is stunning accuracy and indeed, their work includes some of the most information rich maps of the period. In addition to his cartographic work, Dower is well known as an engraver of military scenes. Their primary work is the 1834 British Cyclopaedia