It would be a mistake to consider maps as neutral representations of physical space. However, it is common for the viewer to assume that maps are accurate and objective depictions of place due to their inherent implication of authenticity. Despite being encouraged to ‘see’ cartography as a scientific form of visual knowledge, a map is an image of a landscape with lines of territorial and political boundaries within which lies a social commentary about the geography being represented. This form of spatial knowledge can be seen as a depiction of place used as a tool for political power. Further, the traditional mindset when examining a map, by looking from the outside into a created visual space, can be problematic in and of itself; however, when one is part of the place that is depicted, there is an additional challenge [what or why there is an additional challenge]. Such a challenge can be found in the cartography of the city of Cork. The representations of Cork City - which range from the depiction of the origins of the city to those of its inclusion as a developing modern state, as well as the representation of the future plans for urban renewal of the docklands - demonstrate the contingency of spatial knowledge as a representation of place.

Upon viewing the map of Placata Hibernia circa 1585, which relates to the origins of Cork City, the rudiments of early cartography are clearly evident. Created during the early stages of the Nine Years War (a conflict between the local power and the centralizing crown government), this map is a first hand contemporary account of the campaign in Munster. The primitive outline of the walled and fortified city of Cork includes symbols for buildings and infrastructure such as towers, battlements, bridges, and city gates. The mapmaker also clearly noted  that the city has intimate ties to its natural surroundings, particularly the sea. Tidal channels, called quays, are depicted in their use as one of the main methods of transportation as ships are shown sailing along in the channels. This combination of eye-level viewpoint and aerial perspective allowed for the selective magnification of cartographic signs which emphasized the city’s defenses against battle. While there is no legend to explain the pictorial symbology, it would have been readily understood by the intended viewers, one of whom was Sir George Carew, who presided over the Province of Munster during the end of the Nine Years War. During the sixteenth century, such a member of the political elite was commonly the intended map reader as cartography was considered a ‘science of the princes’ since the use of maps was concentrated in relatively few hands.[1] Such exclusivity of access to the visual knowledge of place is reinforced by the fact that the map has been created on parchment material. Parchment, which did not allow for further reproduction of the image, limited the power of the map to its sole owner. By highlighting the city’s function as a well-defended fortress and port through the employment of cartographic signs, the map’s purpose as a specialised intellectual weapon for its owner to be used to gain power and to administer control is made apparent.

In contrast to the feudal interest of defending the territory of Cork City, Chalmer’s Local Survey of Cork City created in 1832 reveals a financial interest in the ownership of property. With the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836, the archaic system of tithes in Ireland was replaced with a new monetary scheme; this change in valuing the monetary worth of the land necessitated a new way of ‘knowing’ the urban area. Therefore, the government introduced the Ordinance Survey as a means to measure the land accurately for valuation purposes. Government control over geographic data through the use of territorial surveys reveals an important facet of the state formation- the institutionalization of agencies and archives for producing and serving knowledge.[2] Within this nineteenth century context, Chalmer’s map was produced as an Ordinance Survey map. Unlike Placata Hibernia, Chalmer’s survey has a measurable scale: every six inches on the paper corresponds to one mile of the city, demonstrating the Victorian penchant for standardization. Despite its aim of providing an authentic reality of the city (achieved in part by its use of proportion and its scale as conveyed by the clean-cut appearance), not all aspects of society’s then boundaries are represented. For instance, the residential segregation of Protestants and Catholics continued, yet this significant social division remains absent in Chalmer’s survey. However, what is clearly depicted is the progress of the city’s infrastructure. As an example, the medieval lanes and surrounding wetlands in Placata Hibernia have been replaced with streets and filled-in marshes. Thus Chalmer’s layout of the urban centre is even recognizable to the twenty-first century Cork resident. Rather than the layout of the city being determined by its natural surroundings, as was the case in the sixteenth-century map, this example of nineteenth-century cartography conveys the power of a human agency to avoid natural and social surroundings in charting and establishing the view of the landscape.

When considering the linear dimensions of both of these maps of Cork City, the demarcation of divisions shifts from natural boundaries outside the city walls as shown in Placata Hibernia to a stronger emphasis on the infrastructure of the urban centre as shown in Local Survey of Cork City. Bounding is an essential part of humanizing space, and reflects the human need to rationalize existing divisions thereby over-riding archaic boundaries with supposedly better systems.[3] This bounding or visual organisation of space can be observed in Placata Hibernia through the curvy line employed; details such as waterways and hills convey a city whose boundaries are limited by the natural divisions of the surrounding landscape. The stylization of nature is seen in the zig-zag marks used to indicate water currents as well as in the repetition of bumps used to suggest the various elevations of the land. This focus on the natural outer limits of the city gradually dissipates in the local map representation as the power of human agency overtakes the natural constraints of city expansion. As a consequence of the Victorian era’s bureaucratic government, the two-dimensional cartographic form of the city has been re-formatted to serve the interest of the Ordinance Survey. In contrast to the distinct personal mark of the sixteenth-century mapmaker, Chalmer uses the anonymous straight line with its linear uniformity lending the map an air of scientific authenticity.[4] Also, the interconnectedness conveyed through the lineated web of streets, indicates the progress of the city’s infrastructure. The transition from the natural territorial division to political boundaries reveals the development of society through the form of a line.

Another way in which map representation reflects society’s changing worldview is in the contrast between narration and measurement. The ‘reality’ of the city is expressed in a narrative form in Placata Hibernia through the use of pictorial symbology such as the fortress wall and sailing ships. This narration was particularly useful as the images functioned to document the battleground and to aid in strategizing warfare. However, since raw data is often too intricate and abundant to be fully reproduced, the generalization of the geography in the form of symbols allows for an overall message to be conveyed. On the other hand, Chalmer’s survey is concerned with precise measurement, particularly the measurement of land which was of great importance to the nation state emerging from a feudal kingdom. Empiricism in the form of measurement was needed to document the land as the concept of private property developed; thus, the bounds of ownership were established and documented by the government for the people. Nonetheless, space in this type of cartography is devoid of depictions for the qualities of meaning and experience.[5]

While both Placata Hibernia and Local Survey of Cork City recorded the existing urban plans of the city, the Docklands Development Strategy envisions a social environment that is yet to be developed. With the intention to ‘revitalize’ the docklands area through its development plans for a six-year period (2009-2015), the Cork City Council proposed to regenerate ‘brown-field’ areas on the site of the eighteenth and nineteenth century port, while providing opportunities for urban living and a diversification of economy that will be important to social sustainability.[6] Although these plans provide for a total transformation of the docklands, they also ensure that the existing qualities of area are maintained. This mix of preserving the old and developing the new reveals an interesting notion of place in relation to past remains and future endeavors. To reinforce the scheme, the city council provided two maps in which one is measurable while the other is illustrative. The purpose of the empirical representation of the docklands, including the details of the extension of the Marina Port as well as the details for the addition of new bridges, is to instill a sense of verity about the eventual reality of place. Alternatively, the purpose of the illustrative version of the mapped area is to appeal to the emotive side of the viewer as it evokes a specific ideal setting. After all, since the renovated place has yet to be manifested in three-dimension, its two-dimensional diagram is intended not to provide a physical orientation but rather a vision of the future. The desire to make Cork a more attractive place to work in, live in and visit suggests a societal demand for high quality civic spaces which requires a series of future urban renewal plans. By mapping an area that is not mimetic to the current conditions of the place, the true function of maps as selective representations of what can’t be seen simply with the naked eye is clearly exhibited. These futuristic plans for the docklands demonstrate the political function of cartography. Unlike the previous maps examined, everyone has access to the Docklands Development Strategy through the internet or by obtaining a copy of the plan at City Hall. By presenting imagined maps of the future of the docklands to the public, Cork City Council hopes to gain public support for the way the civic taxes are being spent (i.e. exert its political power of persuasion through the visual medium of cartography). Such urban renewals for ‘resettlement’ reveal how controlling public assembly continue to exert potent influence.[7] The cartography of the Docklands in the twenty-first century demonstrates an effective synthesis of imagination and empiricism in visual form.

A city is a living organism which changes physically and politically. Maps function both to document and influence this change as they not only record the human construction of place, but they also provide a visual tool of power. Although Placata Hibernia, Local Survey of Cork City, and Dockland Development Strategies were created in different centuries, all these maps reveal the social dynamics of Cork City through line and symbol. In each instance, the bias of the mapmaker is a natural result of the historical context in which the image was constructed and is manifested in the particular style of representation, whether it is narrative or measurable. By ‘putting Cork on the map’ in contrasting historical representations of the city, the living organism of this urban centre can be better understood.

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© Courtney Ahlstrom Christy

Ahlstrom Appraisals | Personal Property Appraisals and Art Consultations | Serving Atlanta & Southeast

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Look at more historic maps of Cork City: Cork Past and Present

Learn more about the Cork City docklands: Cork Docklands 

Discover the history of Cork Marina: Marina Commercial Park 

Read the latest news on the recent on the Dockland Development: “Cork city's docklands and quays to see renewed activity in 2016” 

See the architect's vision for the South Cork Docklands: Scott Tallon Walker Architects

© Courtney Ahlstrom Christy

Ahlstrom Appraisals | Personal Property Appraisals and Art Consultations | Serving Atlanta & Southeast | Fine Art, Antiques & Vintage  

[1] Harley, J. “Maps, Knowledge, and Power,” The New Nature of Maps: Essays in the History of Cartography, London, 56.

[2] Biggs, M. “Putting the State on the Map: Cartography, Territory, and European State Formation,” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 1999, 378.

[3] Prunty, J. Maps and Map-Making in Local History, Dublin, 22.

[4] Wright, J. “Map Makers Are Human: Comments on the Subjective in Maps,” Geographical Review, 1942, 527.

[5] Biggs, M. “Putting the State on the Map: Cartography, Territory, and European State Formation,” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 1999, 377.

[6] Murphy, M. Ed. Atlas of Cork City, Cork, 2005, 179.

Due to the economic downturn of 2008, the development of the docklands has yet to be fully executed. However, activity is planned to be resuming in 2016. See the Irish Examiner article “Cork city's docklands and quays to see renewed activity in 2016” for further information. http://www.irishexaminer.com/property/commercial/cork-citys-docklands-and-quays-to-see-renewed-activity-in-2016-370718.html

[7] Prunty, J. Maps and Map-Making in Local History, Dublin, 16.