Mr Ward's Map, 9781991309068
Hardcover
Wellington’s secrets mapped: a city’s life in extraordinary detail.
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Mr Ward's Map

Victorian Wellington street by street

$72.00

  • Hardcover

    560 pages

  • Release Date

    12 November 2025

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Summary

In 1891, a remarkable map of Wellington was made by surveyor Thomas Ward. It recorded the footprint of every building, from Thorndon in the north and across the teeming, inner-city slums of Te Aro to Berhampore in the south. Updated regularly over the next 10 years, it detailed hotels, theatres, oyster saloons, brothels, shops, stables, Parliament, the remnants of Maori kainga, the Town Belt, the prisons, the ‘lunatic asylum’, the hospital and much more, in detail so particular that it went r…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781991309068
ISBN-10:1991309066
Author:Elizabeth Cox
Publisher:Massey University Press
Imprint:Massey University Press
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:560
Release Date:12 November 2025
Weight:2.20kg
Dimensions:315mm x 230mm x 40mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘It’s my favourite book of the year’ — Mark Amery, RNZ

‘This book is utterly extraordinary! … Mr Ward’s Map is a treasure and an extraordinary labour of love by Thomas Ward, who created the original maps with intricate detail, and by author Elizabeth Cox, whose extensive research and well-crafted text make it a work of art. This is a book to enjoy now and to hand down to future generations.’ — Karen McMillan, NZ Booklovers

‘Handsome, impressive’ — Mark Broatch, NZ Listener 100 Best Books of 2025

About The Author

Elizabeth Cox

Elizabeth Cox is a Wellington historian who specialises in New Zealand social and architectural history. Her 2022 book Making Space: A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture, published by Massey University Press, made a major contribution to the field of New Zealand architectural history. She received a President’s Award from Te Kāhui Waihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects for her efforts on behalf of New Zealand architecture in the same year. She has worked as the content lead for Te Ara Encyclopedia for Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and the National Trust in the United Kingdom. Her first book, A Friend Indeed: The Saving of Old St Paul’s, was published in 2018. She runs a heritage consultancy business exploring the history of New Zealand’s heritage buildings.

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