Old Nautical Map of the English Channel by Russell, 1803: Dover-Calais, Portsmouth, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Boulogne

2026-03-26T01:26:57+00:00

Price: 0.00 - 1975.00 (42 variants)

Chart of the British Channel with the Opposite Coast of the United Kingdom and the Republic of France is a bracing artifact of 1803—a year when the Peace of Amiens had collapsed and the narrow seas again bristled with anxiety. Russell’s composition frames the English Channel as both moat and corridor, punctuated by a dignified cartouche and steadied by a clear compass rose. The title’s symmetrical pairing of “United Kingdom” and “Republic of France” underscores a duel of modern states facing one another across the Dover Strait. Clear coastal profiles and crisply defined political boundaries knit southern Britain to northern France in a single, charged vista, transforming familiar shorelines into a theater of strategy and national resolve.

John Russell, a London-based cartographer active at the turn of the nineteenth century, excelled at turning geographic precision into public argument. His reputation rested on clarity of line and a talent for organizing complex information into legible, persuasive images. In 1803, that skill met its moment: this chart becomes more than orientation—it is admonition. Russell selects, orders, and labels with an advocate’s care, shaping a visual narrative that could be grasped at a glance by readers, statesmen, and volunteers alike. The result exemplifies the era’s “persuasive cartography,” where the map is both evidence and exhortation, mapping anxieties as deftly as coastlines.

The geography unfolds in a confident sweep from the surf-laced headlands of Cornwall to the chalk gates of Dover, and from Cherbourg’s rugged approaches to the ports of Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, and Calais. On Britain’s side, Portsmouth, Southampton, Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, London, and Margate string the littoral like guarded beads, each a node of trade, naval power, or passage. Russell emphasizes the Channel’s narrowing at its decisive throat between Dover and Calais, where hours, winds, and tides might outweigh miles. The eye is invited to compare distances, orientations, and exposure, turning cartography into a calculus of readiness along every bay, river mouth, and road to the sea.

At the heart of the map’s argument lies a remarkable table: “Places were [sic] Descents have been Made at the different Invasions of England.” Spanning from the Norman era through 1781, the catalog transforms memory into warning, each recorded landing a pinprick of precedent along the south coast. It guides viewers to recognize patterns—where attackers came ashore, how geography enabled audacity, and why vigilance matters. The chronology functions as a silent drumbeat beneath the image, syncing the Channel’s topography with the cadence of history so that headlands, roads, and towns are read not just as places, but as possibilities.

Russell’s political framing is exact and modern, naming the Republic of France opposite the newly consolidated United Kingdom, and inscribing their borders with formal clarity. The effect is to stage a confrontation of systems as much as shores, an island kingdom measuring strength against a revolutionary state. Typography, boundaries, and emblematic ornament work in concert to convey sobriety rather than alarm, allowing the facts themselves—distances, ports, precedents—to persuade. In a single view, the chart captures a nation’s defensive imagination at its most focused, marrying aesthetic poise to strategic insight and preserving the tensile drama of 1803 on the very waters that defined it.

Cities and towns on this map

United Kingdom:

London

Portsmouth

Dover

Bristol

Southampton

Plymouth

Cardiff

Margate

France:

Calais

Boulogne

Dieppe

Cherbourg

Le Havre

Notable Features & Landmarks

Geographical Features:

The English Channel

Various coastlines of southern England and northern France

Table of Historical Landings: Titled “Places were [sic] Descents [landings] have been Made at the different Invasions of England,” listing significant landing sites.

Cartouche: A distinct decorative element encapsulating the title and providing an artistic flair to the map.

Compass Rose: Indicating cardinal directions.

Political Borders: Clearly defined boundaries between the Republic of France and the United Kingdom.

Historical and design context

Map Title: Chart of the British Channel with the Opposite Coast of the United Kingdom and the Republic of France

Mapmaker: John Russell

Year Created: 1803

Historical Context: Created during the Napoleonic era, amidst fears of invasion from France after the breakdown of the Peace of Amiens.

Key Themes: The map highlights military vulnerabilities, cataloging historical landing sites (1066-1781) to illustrate England's susceptibility to invasions.

Countries/Regions: The map depicts the English Channel, southern Britain, and northern France.

Design Style: The map features detailed physical and political boundaries, with a distinct cartouche and a catalog of historical landing sites.

Historical Significance: Functions as persuasive cartography that enhanced public consciousness of national defense during a time of perceived threat from France.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.