Introduction
John Speed Maps of English Counties

We have been lucky enough to have found a collector of original John Speed maps who has kindly let us reproduce them on tiles. With the modern techniques available to us, we were able to faithfully transfer the images to ceramic transfers - which we then fire onto a variety of base tiles.

The method we use to transfer the maps to the tiles is industry standard. The original map is scanned with a high resolution flatbed scanner, which faithfully records every detail. The resultant image is then made into a ceramic transfer ready for application to the tiles. The tiles are then fired to over 800°C, fusing the image with the base glaze. Consequently, the maps are permanently glazed onto the surface of the tile. As with all our decorated tiles, they can be used in any tiling application without fear of the image fading.

We supply the panels framed or unframed. The frames are available in gold or silver finish, and because the tiles are mounted on a specialist tile backer board, they are surprisingly light.

Select from the menu below to see details from each map - or click on the maps themselves to go their page.

John Speed - Map Maker
(1552-1629)

John Speed was born at Farndon, Cheshire in 1552 and followed in his father’s footsteps as a tailor until he was in his late forties. Remarkably, he then made a life change and took up the art of cartography, which, along with history, had been his passion. The courtier, Sir Fulke Greville, the first Lord Brooke, had seen his work and recommended him to Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1598 the Queen granted him the use of a Waiters room in the Custom House and Speed began his work producing maps.

Although much of his work was taken from his predecessors, Saxton, Norden and other cartographers, the inset town plans on the English county maps were the first of their kind.

Speed collected the information for all counties in Britain between 1605 and 1610 for a publication called “Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain”. It was published in 1611-1612 and contained 67 maps in total.

The originals were black and white, and were coloured later when they were removed from their atlases by collectors in the 19th and 20th centuries.