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First edition of Rocque's 2-sheet plan of London, reduced from Rocque's 24-sheet plan of London and published by John Pine, John Tinney and Thomas Bowles.
A fine seperately issued example of the first edition of Rocque's scarce two sheet map of London, based upon his larger 24-sheet map, one of the most important nad highly detailed plans of London published in the 18th Century.
John Rocque (1709-1762) was a surveyor and cartographer who was born in Paris, but moved to England with his parents, who were French Huguenot. In addition to his work as surveyor and mapmaker, Rocque was an engraver and map-seller. He was also involved in some way in gardening as a young man, living with his brother Bartholomew, who was a landscape gardener, and producing plans for parterres, perhaps recording pre-existing designs. Roque produced engraved plans of the gardens at Wrest Park (1735), Claremont (1738), Charles Hamilton's naturalistic landscape garden at Painshill Park, Surrey (1744), Wanstead House (1745) and Wilton House (1746).
Rocque is best known for his 24-sheet map of London. He began work on this in 1737 and it was ultimately published in 24 printed sheets in 1747. It was by far the most detailed map of London published up to that time, and remains an important historical resource. The map of London and his other maps brought him an appointment as cartographer to the Prince of Wales in 1751. A fire in 1750 destroyed his premises and stock, but by 1753 he was employing ten draughtsmen, and The Small British Atlas: Being a New set of Maps of all the Counties of England and Wales first appeared.
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