The game of England

London, 1829
Maps.d.35.82.1

This board game consists of a map of England and Wales printed on a linen cloth. It was played with a teetotum, a form of spinning top known across Europe from Roman times. The game is a testimony to the development of tourism in England: the world tourist had first appeared in 1772 and was defined as ‘one who makes a journey for pleasure, stopping here and there’ (originally especially a travel writer). The section about Cambridge in the printed rules reads: ‘Cambridge: famous for its University; the tourist must stop here three turns and view the Halls and Colleges’.

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