Surrey. Original antique map by Thomas Moule published in 1836. With hand colouring.

Thomas Moule’s map of Surrey, first published around 1836 for his masterwork ‘The English Counties Delineated’, is celebrated as one of the most decorative antique maps of the county ever produced.

Like all of Moule’s iconic cartography, the map frames geographical accuracy with highly ornate Victorian Gothic aesthetics.

It features a finely engraved view of Dulwich College set within a picturesque landscape window and a romantic view of Richmond Hill, looking down over the winding River Thames with classic sailboats in the foreground.

The entire map sheet is flanked by heavy, ornate Gothic pillars. The right pillar features a classical robed figure holding a mirror and a snake, representing Prudence.

The bottom corners are adorned with local crests and an intricate circular seal design.

The boundaries of the county are divided into its traditional “Hundreds” (historic administrative sub-divisions). Prominent locations like Guildford, Croydon, Epsom, Reigate, and Dorking are clearly engraved alongside major coaching roads and rolling topography.

Thomas Moule (14 January 1784 – 14 January 1851) was an acclaimed English antiquarian, writer on heraldry, and one of the most influential mapmakers of Victorian England. He is globally celebrated for creating the last great series of decorative, steel-engraved English county maps before cartography transitioned into a purely utilitarian and scientific format.

During the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, most cartographers stripped artistic decorations from maps to focus entirely on academic data. Moule completely bucked this trend by combining technical geography with Ornamental detail.

Every map is uniquely framed with architectural column layouts, gothic scrollwork, or hanging garlands.

Each county map features at least two highly detailed, picturesque sketches of famous local castles, cathedrals, or historic estates. Moule utilized his deep knowledge of heraldry to embellish the corners of his maps with official coats of arms and shields belonging to local nobility.

Moule originally released his county maps in collectible separate parts between 1830 and 1832. In 1836, renowned publisher George Virtue officially compiled them into a definitive two-volume atlas masterwork accompanied by comprehensive topographical text written by Moule himself. Throughout the late 1830s and 1840s, his map plates were continually updated and reused to illustrate the pages of the highly popular Rev. James Barclay’s Complete Universal English Dictionary.