![]() ![]() These vast maps were probably hung on purpose-made mahogany stands in Buckingham House, enabling the King to follow the steady erosion of his hold on the American colonies. George III took a close interest in every detail of the war, from how many blankets were required by the British forces to the number of cannon in the French fleet. Highlights of the collection include two-metre-wide maps of the American War of Independence. ![]() Upon the King's death, his son, George IV, gave his father's collection of topographical views and maritime charts to the British Museum (now in the British Library), but retained the military plans due to their strategic value and his own keen interest in the tactics of warfare. He never left the south of England or fought on a battlefield, but his vast collection of more than 55,000 topographical, maritime and military prints, drawings, maps and charts allowed him to travel the world from the comfort of his library at Buckingham House, now Buckingham Palace. ![]() Maps were an important part of George’s early life and education, and his passion for the cartographic sciences continued once he became King. ‘George III’s Collection of Military Maps’ presents a diverse range of material from the 16th to 18th centuries, from highly finished presentation maps of sieges, battles and marches, to rough sketches drawn in the field, depictions of uniforms and fortification plans, providing a vivid contemporary account of major theatres of war in Britain, Europe and America. ![]()
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