Colchester Historic Map Wall Art, Bartholomew 1903

Historic mapping of Colchester and its surrounding landscape, reproduced as a historic map wall art from Bartholomew's distinctive Half-Inch mapping.

Choose your size

Choose the size that suits the space where your map will hang. Smaller sizes work well as compact accent pieces on shelves, gallery walls and narrower spaces, while larger sizes give the map more presence and make the historic detail easier to enjoy across a room.

Available sizes range from 8 × 10 in to 24 × 18 in. We only offer sizes that can be composed cleanly from the original historic map sheet and meet our print-quality threshold.

8 × 10 in
10 × 8 in
12 × 16 in
16 × 12 in
16 × 20 in
20 × 16 in
18 × 24 in
24 × 18 in

Choose your finish

Choose fine-art paper for a smooth, crisp finish that shows the finest map lettering particularly clearly, or canvas for a more textured, tactile appearance. Only finishes available for this listing are shown.

Fine-art paper print without a hanger.
Fine-art paper print with a solid-wood magnetic hanger.
Artist-grade canvas with a solid-wood magnetic hanger.
Available hanger colours: natural oak, black and white.

What this map covers

Every artwork focuses on Colchester.

Smaller sizes concentrate more tightly on the main place and nearby neighbourhoods, while larger sizes can extend to Southend-on-Sea, Braintree, South Woodham Ferrers, Maldon and Shoeburyness.

Placement of Colchester by size: 8 × 10 in roughly central · 10 × 8 in roughly central · 12 × 16 in slightly above centre · 16 × 12 in roughly central · 16 × 20 in upper third · 20 × 16 in slightly above centre · 18 × 24 in upper third · 24 × 18 in upper third.

Each size is individually composed from the original historic map sheet. As the visible area changes, the featured place may sit centrally in some sizes and closer to one side or edge in others. Check the size images for the exact crop and position before choosing your print.

About this map

This artwork is cropped from Sheet 26 · Essex, 1903, focusing the original cartography around Colchester rather than reproducing the complete historic sheet. The crop is composed to keep Colchester prominent while working within the boundaries of the surviving historic map sheet. For this wall-art edition, the original cartography is enlarged so place names, roads and map detail are easier to enjoy from a normal viewing distance.

At half an inch to the mile (1:126,720), it covers much more ground than the detailed Ordnance Survey county sheets while retaining a strong sense of local geography. The interest is often in the regional pattern: how a town relates to neighbouring places, transport routes, water, and higher ground.

Complete coverage of Great Britain was achieved by 1903, and the series became closely associated with touring and cycling in the early twentieth century. The series is especially recognisable for its layer colouring, with greens across lower ground and browns and paler tones used as elevation rises. This particular source was published in 1903.

Product details

Made to order. Shipping is calculated at checkout.

Size option: 8 × 10 in
Size option: 10 × 8 in
Size option: 12 × 16 in
Size option: 16 × 12 in
Size option: 16 × 20 in
Size option: 20 × 16 in
Size option: 18 × 24 in
Size option: 24 × 18 in
enhanced matte fine-art paper or 400gsm artist-grade cotton canvas
solid-wood magnetic hanger on mounted options
art-paper options are available with or without the wooden hanger
canvas is available with the wooden hanger only
colour-coordinated hanging cord
wood strips may overlap up to 1.5 cm at the top and bottom
smooth enhanced-matte paper or finely textured canvas

A note on map detail

Historic map detail varies with product size and material. Canvas has a visible textile texture, so the smallest lettering can appear softer than on smooth fine-art paper. Use the listing close-ups as your guide to the exact crop and level of detail.