The Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral is supposed to be one of the oldest surviving medieval maps of the world. That alone makes it sound like a pretty compelling target, and it’s also featured on the Atlas Obscura website, which usually seals the deal for me. So naturally, I wandered over to take a look.
Or at least, I tried to.
When I got there, I discovered that entry was around £13–£14. For me, that was a hard no. I just couldn’t justify paying that much to look at a map I’d probably spend two or three minutes staring at, however historically significant it might be. It just felt a bit over the top.
So on went my “principled hat”—something Lou and Thomas are very familiar with—and I walked away. I’m still not entirely sure what to do with this one. I might leave it as-is, or I might find another obscure stop in Herefordshire and come back with a version two. We’ll see.
I do genuinely wonder what it looks like up close, and I’ll probably include a picture so you can see for yourself. But it does leave me questioning whether I should be more willing to spend money on things like this—or whether sticking to my principles is kind of the point
STOP PRESS: I've just been to the 'Secret Maps' exhibition at the British Library. It was superb - full of incredible maps, some extremely old, some modern, all brilliant. Only £20 - so I feel justified in not taking the 'Mundi plunge'