2003 has been, it seems, the year of exploration and travel anniversaries: celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest, the 100th of the first powered flight, the 80th of Footprint's South American Handbook, the 30th for Lonely Planet and the 10th for Wanderlust. Of course, we are biased to the notion that the most important anniversary this year is our own 150th.
Edward Stanford made his reputation rapidly upon setting up his independent business in 1853. One of his first series of maps, covering the Crimea in 1854-55, made Florence Nightingale a customer. Stanley and Livingstone were fans too, with the former writing to Stanford, "Had it not been my fate to be an African explorer, I should have wished to be a geographer of your attainments." Amongst the other explorers and travellers Stanfords has had the honour of serving are Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the late Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Sir Chris Bonington and Michael Palin to name but a small handful.
Accolades continued throughout the 19th century for the company's cartographic achievements, culminating in Stanford being appointed geographer to Queen Victoria in her Jubilee year, evidenced by the stone relief of the company's first Royal Warrant on the façade of the Covent Garden store. We also quickly became synonymous with map selling, first appearing in literature in {error} in 1898 when Watson was 'sent down to Stanfords' for a map of Dartmoor.
Earlier this year saw the opening of our new store in Manchester, while our well-established shop in Bristol continues to go from strength to strength and the number of customers using our website grows month by month. By mid-November the complete refit at our flagship store in Covent Garden will finally come to an end. Spanning three floors and boasting more maps and travel books than you can shake a compass at and with arguably the best-travelled and wisest staff on the planet, Stanfords remains the pre-eminent place to begin your journey.
Here's to the next 150 years!
- Read our full Company History.
Date: 1 September 2003
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