John Heywood 

John Heywood is well known for a long-running series of cheap atlases that he published during the second half of the nineteenth century. Some time between 1852 and 1858 John Heywood took over the copper plates , or more likely the lithographic stones, to a series of county maps originally used by Henry Teesdale (B&B 99) and subsequently reissued by Henry George Collins and William S Orr between 1830 and 1850. Heywood made further lithograph copies of these maps and issued the set as his Travelling Atlas of England & Wales. These were typically on sale as paperback atlases for the price of 1/-. The stones were used by Heywood until c.1882 with continual updating.

Shortly after the plates were retired after 50 years of service, John Heywood began to publish a series of paperback Illustrated Guides. The first guide seems to have appeared in 1886 with a guide to Llandudno with Heywood’s native Manchester not appearing until c.1890. A vast number of guides were produced and from 1891 they included a map: A special feature of this year's issue is the addition of a two-page map of the place or district. The aim was that "Each guide has been specially written or revised for the season. (1897)" There were guides to Torquay (from c.1891), Ilfracombe (not yet located), and Devonport with Plymouth (see below). The most popular were reissued up to 35 times with the series running until 1929-30 and a copy of Torquay from 1922 is known. Besides the Devon towns there were guides to all the expected tourist destinations but also to such places as Alton Towers.

The series certainly met with a favourable press: The Manchester Courier, as early as 1891, wrote that the guides "Contain a great deal of information concerning the places described which will enable the visitor to see and know all that is of interest. The guides to localities within easy distance of Manchester are remarkably valuable." The Pall Mall Gazette was even more lavish with its praise: "These little books are certainly the cheapest, and are probably the best, of the kind that are issued." Certainly they were cheap, being on sale at just one penny or twopence with free post.

Heywood 1 - Torquay

Size: 160 x 220 mm.    No scale. 

TORQUAY. (Ea). No signature or imprint.

Description: Sketch map of Torquay from just west of the railway line (only Torquay station named) to Kilmorie in the east. Sea front road to Paignton as Cockingston Road (sic). New Pier is shown as straight line with octagon at seaward end. Illustrated.

1. 1891     John Heywood’s Illustrated Guide to Torquay and Neighbourhood
                Torquay: Westley's Library. Manchester and London:[1] John Heywood. 1891. KB.

 2. 1897     Torre station now shown and named. New Pier is shown as straight line with a "dog-leg" in the middle.[2]

                  John Heywood’s Illustrated Guide to Torquay ...

                 Manchester and London. [3] John Heywood. 1897.  KB.

  

Heywood 2 - Plymouth and Devonport

John Heywood’s Illustrated Guide to Torquay of 1891 advertises some 49 different titles in the series but the only Devon town included was, in fact, Torquay and Neighbourhood. The series must have been very lucrative as the Torquay guide for 1897 advertises some 130 different titles in the series although both Devonport and Plymouth are listed separately as well as Ilfracombe. The guides were updated frequently: both the text and the advertising sections were expanded or altered. The guides can be fairly accurately dated from railway adverts in the advertising sections. 

Size: 160 x 220 mm.         No scale. 

PLAN OF PLYMOUTH AND DEVONPORT. (Ea). No signature or imprint. Description: Sketch map of Plymouth and Devonport from Hamoaze to Catwater and Cattedown Road in the east. 

1. 1894   John Heywood’s Illustrated Guide to Plymouth and Devonport
                London, Liverpool and Bristol. John Heywood. 1894[4]. TQ.

---

[1] John Heywood gives his address on the title page as Deansgate and Ridgefield, Manchster; 1, Paternoster Buildings, London. However the cover itself has Westley's Library. 10, Strand, Torquay.

[2] It is interesting to compare the photographs (by Frith & Co.) on page 4 of each guide. The later picture clearly shows the new pier and the layout of the extended (reclaimed) gardens in front of Rock Walk.

[3] John Heywood gives his address on the title page and cover as Deansgate and Ridgefield, Manchster; 29 & 30, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. The map was unchanged for editions from 1897 to 1910 and much of the text was kept, although some updating did occur.

[4] A railway advertisement is dated.

 Arthur Westley 1

 NEW - Please note Westley 1 and 2 are now Cockrem 6 and 7.

Arthur Westley took over much of Edward Cockrem´s stock and rights to publish when Cockrem died in 1872. He was certainly keen to make the most of the tourist trade and general interest as his publishing output shows. One of the maps below still has its original covers and proves that Westley was offering all of the following for sale at the same time: Westley’s Tourist Guide to Torquay & Neighbourhood (certainly later editions of Cockrem’s guide); Westley’s Large Scale Plan of the Town of Torquay at 12 miles to the inch; Westley’s Map of 25 Miles Round Torquay; as well as books of views and also Westley’s Sixpenny Guide to Torquay & Neighbourhood (no known copy survives). His Westley’s Plan of the Town of Torquay at 8 inches to the mile (price 1/-, see below) as well as the same map but with a special index of over 1000 Villas, Terraces, &c. (price 1/6) were clearly later examples of Cockrem´s map Produced to accompany the Torquay Guide (which he continued to sell with amended imprint, see Cockrem 6 and 7).

The map described below was certainly drawn before 1886. It identifies the Great Western Hotel: this was built in 1881 and retained that name until 1885 when it dropped the “Great“ (in 1902 it became the Grand Hotel). The Admiralty Experiment Works are clearly labelled in Chelston: this was the brainchild of the engineer William Froude who designed a huge test bed to experiment with ship hull designs. The test centre started in his house in 1872 but moved to Gosport in 1886.[1] The approximate dating of 1883 also ties in with the imprint. Edward Stanford had premises at 55 Charing Cross until c.1886.[2]

The fact that the map was drawn up by Stanford´s suggests that Cockrem may have commissioned it about the same time as his two smaller maps for the later editions of his Guide to Torquay. 

Size: 445 x 720 mm (map only). SCALE (1/2 mile = 100 mm) MILE.            

A PLAN OF THE TOWN OF TORQUAY Published by ARTHUR WESTLEY 10, Strand Torquay. Printer's signature: STANFORD LITH, 55 CHARING CROSS, LONDON, S W. (EeOS). Signature: W PARKER, DELT (CeOS). Scale is eight inches to the mile. Grid A to R vertically and 1 to 28 horizontally (to locate dwellings and streets in the list).

The area covered is from Livermead and Shiphay Bridge (west) and to Hope’s Nose and Anstey's Cove (east). Map is coloured to show the various suburbs. Two indexes (Ea) and complete street index below map adding 150 mm to height of sheet. Illustrated.

1.1883             A Plan Of The Town Of Torquay 

Torquay. Arthur Westley. (1883). BL[3], KB[4].

 2.1883             Title, imprint and signature as before. Size is now 640 x 755 mm with panel below adding 150 mm to sheet size (800 x 800 mm complete). Scale bar now 145 mm (1/2 Mile).  

The whole sheet (including the index) is an enlarged copy of the above. However, the eastern side has been cut off and all of Hope’s Nose and Flat Rock and northwards to Anstey’s Cove is now lost (part of the latter sacrificed to include the index list). Hence, the grid is now A to R as before but only 1 to 20. The index has not been changed to exclude Hope Farm at 21L which has been cut off. 

A Plan Of The Town Of Torquay                        

Torquay. Arthur Westley. (1883). BL[5].

 3. 1886     The map is identical to state 1 except that the number 55 has been cleanly erased from the printer's signature.

Cover title simply TORQUAY. Cut, pasted onto linen and folding into 18 sections inside embossed green board covers.

 A Plan Of The Town Of Torquay 

Torquay. Arthur Westley. (1886). KB.

 

[1] See https://historicgosport.uk/haslar-admiralty-experimental-works/.
[2] Stanford’s moved to 26-27 Cockspur Street and the last date seen on maps with 55 Charing Cross is 1886.
[3] BL Maps 2140.(9.). Rebacked: Original orange paper label cover pasted on reverse; Westley’s Large Scale Plan of Torquay (From the Ordnance Survey), corrected to the Present Time… folding into six unequal sections. Largest section is 510 x 320 mm.
[4] Cover title Westley’s Plan of Torquay. From the Ordnance Survey, Corrected to the Present Time ... Scale 8 Inches To The Mile folding into orange paper covers.
[5] BL Maps 2140.(8.). Rebacked: Original cover pasted on reverse (front only), white paper label (180 x 115 mm) with title Westley’s Large Scale Plan of Torquay (From the Ordnance Survey), corrected to the Present Time ... Scale Twelve Miles to the Inch… folding into six unequal sections. Largest section is 510 x 320 mm.

 John Cary - Arthur Westley

Arthur Westley began business in the late 1870s taking over from Edward Cockrem (see Cockrem 5). He seems to have commissioned only one map (but it may also have been taken over from Cockrem) but was offering a range of different maps of Torquay and the neighbourhood between 1880 and 1885. One of the maps he offered was taken from  the Cary plates of the Improved Map. His business was, in turn, taken over by Leonard Seeley.

 L Seeley was a Torquay bookseller and library proprietor. In circa 1885 he was issuing a map based on work by Cary’s Improved map only differing from Westley’s in small details and a slight “shift to the east”. Also at about this time he was selling an updated version of a map produced by W Elliott which was now some 50 years old (c.f.). Exactly which map replaced which, or whether Seeley was selling both together cannot be clarified. However, the selection of other items being sold (on back cover) seems to indicate that the company was concerned with selling a range of services more in line with the general bookseller and printer (eg note paper, visiting card plates) than the specialist agent for travellers’ wants. On the other hand the Cary map was much more detailed than the Elliott map and would have been better for a potential traveller.

Other publishers and booksellers were also using ex-Cary map products (taken over in the meantime by Gall & Inglis) such as A H Swiss of Devonport for his hunting maps. This Westley/Seeley version must, however, pre‑date Swiss if the railway information is up to date; both retain information such as rocks and coastal depths found on the Cary maps, but later erased before being used by Swiss.

 Cary Improved 3 (Westley)  

Size: 490 x 600 mm.                                      Scale of English Miles (10 = 130 mm). 

WESTLEY'S MAP OF TWENTY FIVE MILES ROUND TORQUAY, Reduced From The  ORDNANCE SURVEY. (De). Below this a note: Circles Represent Two Miles. Imprint: PUBLISHED BY ARTHUR WESTLEY Librarian, Bookseller, and Stationer 10 STRAND, TORQUAY (Ee). Scale Ae).

The map covers south Devon from Rame Head and Saltash with Lifton Station just inside the border to Chit Rock and Sidmouth (not named) with everything below Exeter and Okehampton, thereby missing the eastern edge, i.e. anything east of Venn Ottery aas well as Honiton. There are radiating circles outwards from Torquay. It has railways consistent with a date of c. 1880; no Yelverton to Prince Town line (1883) and the line to Ashton is not yet projected.  

1.1884       Westley’s map of Twenty Five Miles Round Torquay        Torquay. Arthur Westley. (1884).          BL[1].

 2.1885     SEELEY'S MAP OF THE ENVIRONS OF TORQUAY, FROM THE ORDNANCE SURVEY. (Ee). Imprint: SEELEY'S LIBRARY, TORQUAY (AeOS). Scale (EeOS). Size: 490 x 615 mm. Illustrated.          The map covers almost the same area of south Devon from Plymouth to Salcombe Regis and everything below Exeter, thereby missing the eastern edge and anything west of Beer Alston as well as Honiton but shows only a small part of Rame Head (in full on Wesley) and extends further eastalmost  to Beer Head. It has railways consistent with a date of c. 1880; the Yelverton to Prince Town line (1883) is not yet included and the line to Ashton is dotted as projected (opened October 1882). 

 Seeleys' Reduced Ordnance Map Of The Environs Of Okehampton, Exeter, Dartmoor, Plymouth, Dartmouth and Torquay ... L Seeley & Son. (Cover title)       Torquay. L Seeley. (1885).         TM[2]. 

Cover

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

---

[1] BL Maps 2123 (12.) with accession date October 1884. Mounted on linen with (front) cover pasted on reverse: Westley’s Reduced Ordnance Map of Twenty-Five Miles Round Torquay. Distances are shown by Two-Mile Circles. Price 1/6.

[2] Illustrations courtesy of Torquay Museum; all rights reserved.