To the most noble John, Duke of Bedford. This plan of the united parishes of...

Cartographer: Wyld, James Date: 1828 Shelfmark: Maps Crace Port. 15.5 Engraver: Hewitt, Nathaniel Rogers This map is dedicated to the Duke of Bedford as this area was the primary metropolitan estate of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford. Russell was the family name of the Dukes of Bedford, hence Russell Square. Bedford House, built for the 3rd Earl of Bedford in 1586, lay adjacent to Montagu House, later to be the British Museum, until 1705-6 when it was demolished. In the lower left hand corner is a vignette of a statue of a Duke of Bedford. A view of the College of Surgeons is included, as is a statue of C.J. Fox, the orator. Developments since the earlier edition of this map include the ''London University'' on Gower Street and the replacement of Montagu House by Robert Smirke's classical structure.