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28. First Plans of the Breakwater

28. Title: Two plans of the breakwater being built at Plymouth. The upper plan: PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER. When finished. The lower plan: Transverse section of the Breakwater as finish'd.
Date: 1820 [1821].
Size: 125 x 172 mm.
Imprint(s):): Augt 12th 1820.  Pubd by Mrs E Nile, 48 Union Street, Stonehouse, Plymo under complete plan.
Signature(s): Engraved by John Cooke Stonehouse Plymo.
Location(s): BL, NLS, KB, (DevA).[1]
 

Comments: This plan was included in Interesting Particulars, relative to that Great National Undertaking, the Breakwater, published in Plymouth Dockby J Johns and also in Stonehouse by John Cooke. The signature is below upper scale: Scale is 50 + 1000 yards to 102 mm. Lower Scale is 100 + 100 feet is 85 mm. [2]

The Interesting Particulars is in a rather slim, but nevertheless, interesting publication. The first section is devoted to reprinting earlier texts such as the original report of John Rennie and Joseph Whidbey to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from April 21st 1806. This is given verbatim and takes the bulk of the work.

The Estimate which follows puts the projected cost at just over 1 million pounds making it probably the most expensive project of this type known. A Further Report by Rennie to the commissioners follows. After a letter from Mr Rennie to J W Croker of April 15th 1811 there is a further estimate signed by W Fawkener. The only section representing a contribution by the authors seems to be the final four pages with a rather sensational Grave of the Fleet! in very large letters dominating the opening page.

In: 
Interesting Particulars, relative to ... the Breakwater.
Plymouth Dock; J Johns: Stonehouse; John Cooke. 1821.[3]




[1] Another copy is at the National Archives at Kew (MPH 1/287/3) filed together with papers preparing for Dawson’s work on the boundary changes of 1832.

[2] Note that some libraries catalogue this under Rennie and Whidbey as the text of their report is reprinted together with extracts from a government report of 1812. The two maps were completed 1819 and 1820, but there is an Advertisement dated January 1821. The NLS and BL copies both have the Borough map of Plymouth bound in.

[3] Preface dated January, 1821


Link to Map 29.

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