Collecting JOHN OGILBY'S MAPS

A typical 17th-century county map finely detailed towns, villages and rivers, yet it was Ogilby who made roads the focus

- EMMA LONGSTAFF

Ogilby invented the 17th-century equivalent of sat nav,' explains antique map specialist Tim Bryars. We call them strip maps because they follow the route of individual roads. There O are compass roses for reference, but the maps don't run north to south, or even east to west.

The whole focus is the road and the landmarks you might be passing on either side: you should be going up a hill or down a hill; there should be a windmill off to the left; you should be crossing heathland here. They are enormously detailed.

Earlier county maps by John Speed had been in circulation from 1610. It seems remarkable to us now, but while Speed's maps were very thorough - featuring towns, villages, rivers and mountains, along with the coats of arms of significant local figures, the sites of battles and other important historical events - they didn't include: any roads. That's mainly because Speed's maps weren't primarily intended for navigation. They were an expression of royal authority, of dominion over the land, and were bought by aristocrats and other wealthy people for their libraries.

Throughout the 17th century, travel was expensive, slow and dangerous. Only the deep-pocketed travelled any distance. Farmers might take their animals to market, but they wouldn't need a map for that they would know the route. But after the Civil War, roads were improved, and a new nationwide system of stagecoaches was introduced, carrying mail, goods and people. Travel began to open up.