-
30. Cooke´s Second Breakwater Plans

30.1. Title: Two plans of the breakwater at Plymouth. The upper plan: COOKE’S PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER. The lower plan: TRANSVERSE section of the Finished part of the BREAKWATER.
Date: 1823.
Size: 190 x 320 mm.
Imprint(s): see signature.
Signature(s): Taken , Engraved and Published by John Cooke 48, Union Street, Stonehouse, Plymo and dated August 21st 1823.
Location(s): BL.[1]

 
Comments: This second sheet with two plans of the breakwater has a scale of 1000 yards = 170 mm for the upper plan (from above) and a scale of 100 + 100 feet = 135 mm (tranverse section). There is an added note: The first stone was laid August 12th 1812. 
This map first appeared in 1823, possibly as a single sheet plan. This is a much larger and much changed variation of Cooke´s first breakwater plan (see 28 above which is 125 x 172 mm). The breakwater is now seen from the other side and there is more detail (e.g., hatching is designed to show stages in completion) but certain characteristics are retained (e.g. First stone laid, or tide markings). The plan also has a list of tonnages of stone added to the breakwater during certain years from 1820 to 1823.
The Traveller’s Directory, and Stranger's Guide is a strange little volume[2]. The title page clearly states that this plan is part of the contents: Two Half-Sheet Copper Plates to Elucidate. As the breakwater plan is in two halves, this is what was alluded to. The contents are: alphabetical list of streets (pp. 5-9), alphabetical list of towns and places for the Traveller or Tourist (10-11), particulars of Plymouth Breakwater (12-16), followed by Table of discount, Table of money interest and a Table of commission (total of 22 pages). 

Bound in
The Traveller’s Directory, and Stranger's Guide to the Three Towns
Stonehouse. John Cooke. 1823.

Later Edition:

Signature(s): Taken, Engraved and Published by John Cooke 82, Union Street, Stonehouse, Plymo and dated August 21st 1828. 

Comments: Seen both as a loose sheet and bound in to another work. The breakwater plan in this state is reported at the Duchy of Cornwall archives as a loose sheet but has also been seen included in John Cooke´s Traveller’s Directory, and Stranger's Guide. This has the added imprint on the title page: Published and sold by John Cooke, Map & Chart Engraver, and Geographer Extraordinary to HRH The Duke of Clarence, Lord High Admiral. 

30.2. Date in title changed to 1828. The plan also has extra tonnage of stone added to the breakwater during 1824. Imprint: Published by John Cooke 82, Union Street. 

a) Loose sheet – sold separately (price 1s.).   DoC[3].

b) Bound in The Traveller’s Directory, and Stranger's Guide to the Three Towns
Stonehouse. John Cooke. 1828.    KB, PPL.


[1] BL Maps 2147.(1.).
[2] The title page makes it clear there should be two half-sheet copper plates to elucidate - i.e., this plan. However, the author´s copy has a second map tipped in: Cooke´s Stranger´s Guide, see entry 32.
[3] Pasted into a scrapbook with title Plymouth together with two other maps by Cooke, Library D/b/9.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
  John Cooke                  Engraver and Publisher: 1765 - 1845                         JOHN COOKE – of London and Plymouth THIRD EDITION Newly Revised 2024  INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION to The Third Edition 2024   I am an avid collector of Devon guidebooks and soon became aware that a certain John Cooke had either engraved, or engraved and published, plans of the Plymouth area or of its breakwater which expanded in to an article about Plymouth Breakwater. [1] Over the years I managed to acquire a number of maps and plans depicting this monumental enterprise and Cooke´s name appeared several times. The name John Cooke is certainly not rare. However, there appeared to be two or even three engravers of that name around this time, with two operating from London, the other from Stonehouse, Plymouth, not counting the other Cookes active in the book and printing trades at the turn of the nineteenth century. According to Tooley´s Dictionary of Mapmakers (the most reliable source at that time
Read more
-
Image
  London Confusion Towards the end of the 18 th century and the dawn of the 19 th there were literally thousands engaged in the printing and allied trades in London. Many printers were also publishers, many engravers worked for multiple employers and the book printing, binding and retail trades were rapidly expanding. The area between Holborn in the north and the Strand in the south was littered with businesses engaged in publishing in one form or another. It is not surprising then that many people shared the same family name, but the number of Cookes, and specifically J Cook(e) made it difficult to identify a single person. The BBTI [1] has almost 65 entries for Cook or Cooke, with 9 entries for J (or I) Cook/e in London and one each in Plymouth and Exeter for this period. These included printers, booksellers, publishers, compositors, bookbinders, engraver/etcher, even paper-hanger and rag merchant. Ian Maxted [2] , well-known and respected for his work on the printing trades in bo
Read more
-
Image
  John Cooke of Union Street, Stonehouse (1823-1845)   When, in 1823, another plan of the breakwater was published ( 30 ), Cookes Plymouth Breakwater with the transverse section of the completed section , Cooke´s address is 48 Union Street for the first time. There is no mention of the Copper-Plate Engraving and Printing Office or of Mrs Nile.     Fig. 35. Print of the Royal Hotel and Plymouth Theatre.   Apart from his maps and charts, not many other engraved works by Cooke have been discovered. Besides the dedication and the heraldic arms for Gilbert already mentioned, Somers Cocks [1] lists a J Cooke for only two topographical prints; the first is of the Royal Hotel and Plymouth Theatre designed by John Foulston and completed 1818 (80 x 310 mm). This was published and sold separately, has Cooke´s address as 48 Union Street (Mrs Nile’s address) and is tentatively dated to 1820 ( Fig. 35 ), although according to a newspaper advertisement John Whitten took over management of
Read more