Edward Appleton / W Spreat 

Edward Appleton was an architect and surveyor working in Torquay between 1850-60. He either surveyed the greater Torquay district or, more likely, copied the Ordnance Survey maps of the area to produce two maps which were published in Torquay about this time. The earlier map was executed for Edward Cockrem (c.f. Cockrem 5) and appeared as a separate map in covers. The second map was produced for Edward James Matthews, another Torquay printer. Matthews was listed by both Kelly (1856) and Billing (1857) as bookseller, stationer and printer at 14 Strand, Torquay. In common with most booksellers of the time he also advertised other services; printer, bookseller, artist’s colourman, and agent for the Minerva Life Assurance Company and operated a circulating library (Billing). Matthews is only known from one work which he seems to have published himself, Hand Book For Torquay.

The map for this work was lithographed by William Spreat of Park Place and 229 High Street, Exeter. William Spreat Junior is known to have lithographed many Devon maps including two large maps of the parishes of Dalwood and Stockland - two areas involved in land transfers between Devon and Dorset: he printed a plan of Rowden’s Estate near Teignmouth; as well as printing maps of Torquay (Cockrem 5), Teignmouth (Croydon 4), Sidmouth (Hutchinson 1) and for Pulman’s The Book of the Axe (Moss 1). Most of his map work seems to have been carried out 1840-1860.

Both of Appleton’s maps were lithographed by Spreat. While the former map covered an area extending  from the Mudstone Rocks at Brixham as far as Cleveland, just north of Lower Holcombe near Teignmouth, the map for Matthews was confined to the Torquay area. The Torquay Branch Railway is shown only as far as Torre (which is not named) which it reached in 1848.

Matthews’s Hand Book for Torquay was reissued in 1856. This New Edition has new pagination and the title page is slightly different: Hand Book for Torquay or Visitor’s Guide ... . The map of Torquay seems to have been replaced by a vignette frontispiece view of Torquay by Kershaw & Son (view No. 511).[1] Matthews’ address is printed on this edition and there are a number of adverts which were not included in the first printing. 

Size: 405 x 300 mm.              SCALE OF MILES (3 = 150 mm). 


MAP OF TORQUAY, AND NEIGHBOURHOOD, Published by E. J. MATTHEWS, BOOKSELLER, &c. TORQUAY, FOR THE TORQUAY GUIDE. Taken from the New Ordnance Survey. (Ee). Signatures: EDWARD APPLETON. SURVEYOR. DELT TORQUAY. (AeOS) and W. SPREAT. LITH. EXETER. (EeOS). Scale bar (CeOS). North star (Ea).

Shows south coast from Goodrington north to Stoke in Teignhead and and west to Marldon and Kingskerswell. Shows railway to Torre but noted only as Railway Station (1848). 

1. 1854     Hand Book for Torquay being a Guide ...

Torquay. E J Matthews. 1854[2].                        KB.

RETURN to Main Catalogue

NOTES:

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[1] The Bodleian copy of this edition can be seen and downloaded at http://books.google.com. Also includes four other views by Kershaw & Son of London: 851, 514, 320 and 861.

[2] The BL has a copy which they date 1851 but with no map according to COPAC listing (but may be the 1856 issue). The cover title of both works is Hand Book For Torquay; Or Visitors Guide to the Town and Neighbourhood.

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