With Spring well and truly here, heralding start of warmer days, Tatton Park has an event which will interest all culture lovers looking to venture a little further afield.

World Heritage Day takes place on 18 April and visitors to Tatton Park will have the rare opportunity to see, on display for the first time, an extraordinarily important map of Venice.

Featured within a new exhibition that follows 18‑year‑old Samuel Egerton's remarkable journey from rural Cheshire to the vibrant heart of Venice's art world, the 1729 map by Ludovico Ughi, the Iconografica Rappresentione della Incita di Venezia, stands as a technical marvel of its time.

A piece of Venetian history

First published by Giuseppe Baroni, the map was printed on twelve plates surrounded by exquisitely detailed vignettes depicting sixteen key Venetian buildings —believed to be the work of Francesco Zucchi and inspired by Luca Carlevarijs' celebrated Fabriche e Vedute di Venezia (1703), the definitive Venetian views of the period.

Originally intended to be cut from its folio and assembled into an impressive 5‑by‑6‑foot display, the Tatton copy is an extraordinary survivor: completely uncut, and preserved in its original folio, a remarkable treasure of 18th‑century cartographic artistry.

As the first topographical map of the city, Ughi's creation is remarkably accurate for its time, standing as both a scientific achievement and a work of art.

A dynamic digital experience

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To further enhance this extraordinary map and open its stories to new audiences, Tatton Park has partnered with global mapping specialists Esri UK to create an interactive digital interpretation as Carolyn Latham, Mansion and Collections Manager explained.

She said: "Visitors will be able to see both the original folio and the digitally assembled map in all its impressive detail, together with an engaging interactive Storymap that invites them to explore the map, draw comparisons with the modern city and connect with the past in entirely new ways.

"This is a great opportunity to experience this rare and significant masterpiece which we're delighted to display for the first time."

A Fusion of Heritage and Innovation

Funded and supported by Art Fund, and with public funds from Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Immersive Arts Fund, Cheshire East Council and Tatton Park's Charitable Trust, Beyond the View: Canaletto invites visitors to go beyond the surface of the Venetian masterpieces and explore the Egerton family and their unique Italian collections.