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1783 Taylor & Skinner Lusk, Rush, Skerries and Balbriggan Road Map
This hand-coloured antique Irish road map, published in 1783, is Map 2 from the second revised edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland. Surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783, it follows the historic road north through Lusk, Rush, Skerries, Balrothery and Balbriggan, before continuing into County Meath towards Gormanston and Julianstown.
The engraving shows the road network around Lusk, Rush and Skerries, with numerous connecting roads, estates, country houses and coastal features. The principal route continues north through Balrothery and Balbriggan, closely following the Irish Sea coast.
Beyond Balbriggan, the road passes through the Gormanston area and continues towards Julianstown, with the county boundary prominently marked by the inscription “Enter Meath Co.”
The engraving preserves several historical place-name spellings. Balrothery appears as “Ballruddery,” while Balbriggan is engraved as “Balbriggen.” Modern spellings are used throughout this product description to make the locations easier to identify.
Among the many details shown are turnpikes, churches, barracks, estates, country houses, side roads and coastal features, together with the names of contemporary landowners and properties.
The map also includes a mileage table recording the journey from Dublin to Skerries by way of Rush, together with the additional distance from Skerries to Balbriggan.
The large engraved county names Dublin Co. and Meath Co., together with the clearly marked county boundary, make this sheet particularly interesting as a record of the historic road network between the two counties.
Although this map comes from the 1783 revised second edition, the engraved plate retains its original publication inscription at the lower edge: “Published as the Act directs, 28 July 1778.” This reflects the original issue of the plate before its inclusion in the corrected 1783 edition.
Identified as Map 2 in Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland, it forms part of their extensive late-18th-century survey of Ireland’s principal roads.
The source map was genuinely printed in 1783 and comes from the second edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland.
The work was originally surveyed in 1777, first published in 1778, and corrected and revised for this second edition in 1783.
Each antique map has been individually hand-coloured in watercolour by Jenny, then carefully digitised, cleaned, restored and colour-corrected to create a high-resolution printable artwork while preserving the fine engraved detail and historic character of the original map.
Natural variations in the antique paper, engraved lines, printing and other small signs of age are part of the character of the original 1783 map.
This product is a digital-only high-resolution reproduction of an original antique Taylor & Skinner road map of Ireland.
No physical map, print or framed artwork will be shipped.
The supplied JPG file is intended for you to download and print yourself or through a professional printing service.
You will receive:
1 high-resolution JPG fileDimensions: 6600 × 11,250 pixelsResolution: 300 DPIMaximum full-page print size: approximately 22 × 37.5 inchesOrientation: Portrait
The original antique map layout has been retained. Because these maps do not conform to a modern standard aspect ratio, the file is suitable for custom-size printing and framing.
It may also be displayed in a different-ratio frame by using a mat, cropping carefully, or allowing additional margins as required.
The downloadable image shows the complete antique map layout, including the engraved road map, original map margins, natural paper texture and historic age character.
The engraved map occupies part of the complete antique page and will therefore print smaller than the full stated page size.
Please examine the product images and enlarged details carefully before purchasing.
You may print the complete map as shown, display it in a different-ratio frame using a mat, or crop it carefully to suit your chosen frame.
For the best results, we recommend using a professional printing service or a good-quality home printer with heavyweight matte, archival matte or fine-art paper.
Colours may vary slightly depending on your monitor, printer, ink and chosen paper.
Frames, mats and decorative objects shown in the product images are for display purposes only and are not included.
This is a digital download only.
No physical product will be shipped or mailed.
This artwork was created from a genuine antique Taylor & Skinner road map printed in 1783 for the second edition of Maps of the Roads of Ireland.
The original engraving has been individually hand-coloured in watercolour by Jenny, then digitised, restored and prepared for high-resolution printing.
No generative AI was used to create the map artwork.
The downloadable file is supplied as a JPG and may be printed for your own personal use.
This digital file is for personal use only.
Copyright in the supplied hand-coloured digital edition — including Jenny’s original watercolour colouring, digital photography or scanning, restoration, colour correction and file preparation — is owned by The Old Map Shop.
The underlying 1783 historical engraving is out of copyright, but this newly hand-coloured and digitally prepared reproduction may not be resold, redistributed, shared or made available online.
Printed or digital copies may not be sold or used commercially without prior written permission.
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