E Culverwell / Richard Lethaby

(Peter Orlando Hutchison) 

This simple sketch map of the town of Sidmouth is known in two states, but in works separated by nearly twenty-five years. It was originally printed in The Sidmouth Directory, September 28th, 1869, published by Richard Lethaby (on the first of every month)[1]. The second version of 1894 was included in issues of the eighth edition of P O Hutchinson‘s guide to Sidmouth[2]. The map was incorrectly ascribed to Culverwell in the First Edition of Tourist Maps.

Originally appearing in 1857 as A New Guide to Sidmouth and the Neighbourhood, Hutchinson’s guide was reissued from 1862 as A Guide to the Town and Neighbourhood of Sidmouth. For the 8th edition a new title was chosen and this, much earlier, map included. This sketch map appears in all paperback copies of this edition inspected. One hardback edition at Devon Archives also includes a much later, and lithographically reproduced, version of a map by Wallis[3]. The small Sidmouth plan was obviously pasted in at a much later date.

E Culverwell and Sons had premises on Fore Street, Sidmouth, where they were active as booksellers, stationers, bookbinders and newsagents according to advertising in the guide. They were a typical seaside business also selling fancy goods and fishing tackle as well as operators of a circulating library of some 6000 books. They were advertising a Map Twenty Miles Round Sidmouth for ninepence. This was probably the Wallis map described above. They possibly took over old stock and had lithographs prepared.

Although the Wallis map (which accompanies the sketch map in the Devon Archives copy) is dated 1836, the two maps could well have been brought together later, ie this might be a much later map. The second state has additions such as road names for Station Road and Alexandria Road: these were named for the arrival of the railway with the opening of the station in 1874 and in commemoration of the battle of Alexandria and renamed circa 1882.For the Ninth Edition (and later) Culverwell included the Wallis map described above (in hardback edition) as well as a very crude town map (in paperback version). The author has two copies of the Ninth Edition, however, the two covers are distinctly different. The page size is fractionally larger on one copy (8 mm and 5 mm h x w) although the guide book text is identical. There are no title pages, the paperback cover bearing title an contents (with different maps described as being present). This was very possibly published post-1901.

Size: 160 x 220 mm.  Scale Of 880 Yards Or Half A Mile (9  = 83 mm).                                                                        

MAP OF THE TOWN OF SIDMOUTH (CeOS). Plain sketch map of Sidmouth area. Printed on yellow paper and pasted in to accompany larger map (see text).

The area covered is from The Sea (Ae) as far as Arcot House and Livorna Cottage (Ee). There is no border but the scale bar is just below trimmed edge with scale explanantion below the scale line. Special houses are added in a rather crude script, e.g. Broadway. No railway. 

1. 1869            Map Of Sidmouth issued in        

                        Sidmouth. The Sidmouth Directory. 1869.   

 

          Map Of Sidmouth – bound with second map.  DevA.

 

 

2. 1894   Title removed. At the top of the map is a note To Golf Links & Salter’s Cross (i.e. would have been lost if original map was in fact trimmed) and a little below that is the scale bar with nine markings but no explanantion. Broadway becomes The Manor (with Lodge on main road).The railway is shown finishing on the Exeter and Ottery road, named Station Road in front of The Manor. Additional extra information in tidy script, e.g. The Alma and Foot Bridge (Ae). Illustrated. 

 An Illustrated Guide to the Town and Neighbourhood of Sidmouth; ... Eighth Edition  

Sidmouth. E Culverwell. (1894). BL, DevA. 



 

[1] It is illustrated in Peter Orlando Hutchison of Sidmouth, Devon 1810-1897; by Catherine Lineham; private printing; (1983). See p. 19. Source not known but probably Sidmouth Library.

[2] See Hutchinson 2 and 3 for details of the earlier maps he used.

[3] This copy is found pasted in as the inside endpaper to a small booklet enclosing a second, larger folding map first published in 1822 by J Wallis (c.f.) but published here by J Harvey and dated 1836 (see Wallis state 2). It is on yellow paper .

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