1720 Stow Large Antique Print St Thomas Hospital View Southwark, London, England

Cartographer :John Stow

Description: 

This large fine original antique print a view of St Thomas Hospital & view of Southwark, London was published in the 1720 revised edition of John Stow's Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster.

The hospital was described as ancient in 1215 and was named after Thomas Becket — which suggests it may have been founded after 1173 when Becket was canonised. However, it is possible it was only renamed in 1173 and that it was founded when St Mary Overie Priory founded in 1106 in Southwark.

Originally it was run by a mixed order of Augustinian monks and nuns, dedicated to Thomas Becket. It provided shelter and treatment for the poor, sick, and homeless. In the fifteenth century, Richard Whittington endowed a laying-in ward for unmarried mothers. The monastery was dissolved in 1539 during the Reformation, but reopened in 1551 and rededicated to Thomas the Apostle. It was reopened through the efforts of the City of London who obtained the grant of the site and a charter from Edward VI and has remained open ever since. The hospital was also the site of the first printed English Bible in 1537.

At the end of the 17th century, the hospital and church were largely rebuilt by Sir Robert Clayton, president of the hospital and a former Lord Mayor of the City of London. He employed Thomas Cartwright as architect. Sir Thomas Guy, a governor of St Thomas', founded Guy's Hospital in 1721 as a place to treat 'incurables' discharged from St Thomas'

John Stow's work A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster and the Borough of Southwark was originally published in 1598 and 1603. Many editions followed which included revisions, additions, and enlargements, both by the original author and others including John Strype. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - 
Colors used: - 
General color appearance: - 
Paper size: - 16in x 10in (410mm x 255mm)
Plate size: - 13in x 9in (330mm x 230mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Small hole to top of image
Verso: - None

$100.00