Mr Ward's Map: Victorian Wellington street by street | Elizabeth Cox

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 right down to the level of the street lights.

Luxuriously packaged with a cloth case and fold-out jacket, Mr Ward's Map uses this giant map and historic images to tell marvellous stories about a vital capital city, its neighbourhoods and its people at the turn of the twentieth century.

'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

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 Kahui 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 Manatu 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.