Alder Copse -
Email: oldfoldingmaps@gmail.com
Tel: +44 (0) 7913 383346
Specialist publishers of historical maps & charts
Bespokeframers
Maps
Each map is individually made by hand. They are printed with pigment ink on to archival paper and laid on to cloth.
Slip cases
Small and medium maps are presented in slip cases. Slip cases were used to protect the map and prolong it’s life. When originally published folding maps were expensive, costing up to around £1500 by today’s standards, but they were primarily a practical item made to be used on the open road. Many of the mapmaker's of the 18th and 19th centuries continued the book binding tradition and used marbled paper to cover their cases sometimes waxing them to make them more water resistant.
Frames
We have been bespoke framers for over 30 years. Standard and large maps are framed. We make the frames ourselves and produce our own mouldings. The vast majority are framed in hand finished waxed black frame with gold slip. However, large maps can also be framed using woods such as Birds Eye Maple, Walnut and Indian Laurel, this being veneered in the traditional way. See framing.
Sizes
Antique maps were not produced to standard sizes and the dimensions below are only a guide. See individual maps for more information.
Standard: Around 23.5 x 30 inches (610 x 750 mm)
Small: Around 20 x 16 inches (500 x 405 mm)
Medium: Around 28 x 34 inches (710 865 mm)
Large: Around 36 x 36 to 36 x 48 inches (915 x 1220 mm)
Bespoke: Over 36 x 48 inches (915 x 1220 mm) and up to 118 x 80 inches (3000 x 2000 mm). Only 118 x 57 inches (3000 x 1445 mm) if framed.
We have an extensive collection of antique marbled paper dating back to c.1700. For example, the first paper shown above left is an end paper from a book published in Paris in 1714. The other examples date from that time to around 1850. All our cases (photograph above right) are individually hand made and the papers we use to cover them are printed but reproduced from these beautiful original papers. See marble paper.
Wall Maps and Plans
Our wall maps and plans are produced in the same way as many school or wall maps in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The maps are hand laid on to cloth and a number of coats of varnish hand applied to protect the image from the environment. The hanging rods are of Ash and hand finished in black. Just like the wall maps of old they are robust and if cared for they will last a lifetime. See Wall Maps
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