In the last Public History Talk for 2025, historian Elizabeth Cox will speak about her new book Mr Ward’s Map: Victorian Wellington Street by Street.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, 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, Māori kāinga, the Town Belt, the prisons, the ‘lunatic asylum’, and the hospital. The map is incredibly detailed — it even includes the location of street lights.About the speakerElizabeth Cox is a Wellington historian who specialises in New Zealand’s social and architectural history. Her previous book, Making Space: A history of New Zealand women in architecture, was published in 2022.Public history talksThese free Public History Talks are a collaboration between the Alexander Turnbull Library and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The talks are recorded and you can find them at the Apple store, Spotify and Podbean #newzealandhistory.Listen to previous public history talks