Introduction
'Maps offer a way of capturing a place. They are works of art and statements of power. They can provide a means for liberation and control.'
- Sue Clifford and Angela King, eds., from place to PLACE: maps and Parish Maps (Common Ground; 1996)
Maps help us make sense of our places. They enable us to navigate familiar and unfamiliar areas in our everyday lives. They can reveal how places were understood by different people at different times. And everywhere means something to someone; maps appeal to our sense of pride and belonging.
In this exhibition, we invite you to travel back in time through a display of digitised historic maps of Exeter to discover how the city has been mapped over the past 500 years. Then browse our new and unique digital map of Exeter, created through contributions from people in the local community.
This digital exhibition is based on an outreach project (2022-2023) organised by the University of Exeter Special Collections. The main output of the project is the creation of a new digital map that charts the places in Exeter that have personal meaning to the people who live in, work in or visit the city. The map is now available to view in this exhibit.
Project team: Sarah-Jayne Ainsworth and Annie Price