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A fine example of Christopher and John Greenwood’s ambitious county survey project, this map of Buckinghamshire stands as one of the most attractive and detailed privately issued county maps of the early 19th century. Completed shortly after the passage of the Reform Act of 1832, the map reflects the major political and infrastructural shifts of the period. Newly designated polling places, railway lines, and reformed parliamentary boroughs are all shown. The twelve "hundreds" of the county are listed at upper right, each delineated in outline color.
The depiction of canals, turnpike roads, and the early railway linking London and Birmingham illustrates the growing network of communication and commerce that transformed the county’s economy and landscape. A carefully rendered elevation of Stowe House anchors the map in the traditions of aristocratic power and taste, evoking the influence of the Temple-Grenville family in the region.
Published by Greenwood & Co. at 13 Burleigh Street, Strand, this map formed part of the Greenwoods' ambitious but ultimately incomplete Atlas of the Counties of England, which aimed to rival the Ordnance Survey in both geographic rigor and artistic finish. The present sheet combines clarity of design with richness of content, offering insight into the administrative, social, and physical geography of early Victorian Buckinghamshire.
