Drink Maps in Victorian Britain
Kris Butler (Bodleian, £25)
ANYONE tempted to buy this book as a ribald stocking-filler for a boozy uncle, may, on first inspection, find reason to pause. Kris Butler’s text is not po-faced and the book includes, alongside reproductions of the said maps, some wonderfully bright and intentionally attractive period examples of tipple-related advertising. Even so, the subject of this latest spotlight on the Bodleian Library’s diverse collection is very far from merry.
‘The purpose of drink maps was to convince magistrates not to renew or grant new licences’
Drink maps of the 19th century drew attention to the sheer scale and concentration of public outlets for alcohol consumption, by marking taverns, beer houses and so on onto street plans of towns and cities, from Glasgow to Norwich and Aberdeen to Southampton. The purpose was to convince magistrates not to renew or
