The Hereford World Map: Mappa Mundi

2010

Special Collections GA304 R4 HH66

London: Folio Society

Purchased in 2010, with help from the University of the Third Age, this Hereford World Map facsimile is an important addition to Special Collections holdings. The only surviving large medieval map of the world, the original, dating from the end of the 13th century, is housed in the library of Hereford Cathedral, England. The colours of the facsimile have been restored to what the original colours would have been – for example – green for the seas and blue for the rivers. Unusually for the time, the name of the map-maker appears in the bottom left hand corner – Richard of Holdingham or Sleaford. Also the continents, Europe and Africa have been mixed up.