Estate Maps
Bespoke illustrated maps of British and Irish country estates, shoots and farms
Every property has a story that no standard map records
An estate is more than its boundaries. It is driven shoots and farm roads, ancient woodland and parkland avenues, the keeper's names for every stand and the family's names for every field. These are things no Ordnance Survey sheet records, and no data provider knows. A Rural Maps commission captures all of it — the land as its owners and managers know it, drawn at a level of detail that no other map achieves.
The result hangs on the wall of the main house, the farm office, the gun room or the lodge. It is studied at length by guests who know the land and by those seeing it for the first time. Children find hidden illustrations years later. Updates are made as the estate evolves.
"Not as the Ordnance Survey sees it — as your family knows it."
What goes on the map
Every commission is different, but a fully surveyed estate map typically includes:
– All fields, drives, woodland blocks and parkland named as the estate uses them — not as the OS records them
– The main house, farm buildings, cottages, lodges and other structures at the correct scale
– Roads, tracks, rides, footpaths and public rights of way
– Water features — rivers, lakes, ponds, drains and irrigation networks
– Sporting features — drives, flushing points, release pens, deer high seats, fishing beats
– Boundaries — ownership, tenancy, sporting rights, environmental scheme agreements
– Archaeology — Mesolithic, Roman, medieval and Victorian sites plotted with a timeline beside the border, where relevant
– Historical research embedded within the print — a condensed era-divided history of the property, and the etymology of every named site
Illustrations
For maps featuring illustrations, our artist Jonathan Pointer works from photographs provided by you or taken by Anthony during site visits. Buildings, animals, game scenes, family crests and landscape vignettes are all drawn with reference to your property specifically — not from stock or generic imagery. The original drawings are sent to you on completion.
‘A map of your own land will receive more attention from your family and guests than almost any other object in the house — including pieces of fine art that may have cost considerably more. Unlike those, it has no resale value whatsoever. What it has instead is something rarer: it is the only object in the room that belongs entirely to you, and that cannot exist for anyone else.’
Estates mid-project
A common hesitation: commissioning a map while a significant landscaping project is underway, concerned that it will quickly be out of date. There are two answers.
The first is that Rural Maps can map the finished vision rather than the current state — showing the estate as it will become, in exactly the style it will hang.
The second is that the map can be commissioned now and updated later. Around a fifth of the studio's annual work is returning to maps already made — adding new woodland, new buildings, new land purchases. Being mid-project is never a reason to wait.
Beyond the frame
The survey data gathered during the commission does not exist only in the finished print. Where it is useful, the same data is made available through LandApp or LandID — a smartphone and tablet application through which estate managers, keepers and contractors can turn layers on and off, see their live GPS position on the map, and navigate the property in two or three dimensions. The application works offline, without mobile signal. The decorative map hangs on the wall. The survey that made it continues to work in the field.
Something hidden
Inspired by time spent on your land, Anthony hides small illustrations within the map — a family dog at the woodland’s edge, a figure from the history of the place, a private detail that only those who know the land will recognise. He does not say what they are, or where. They stay there for the family to find.
Printing
Every map is printed on heavyweight, archival-quality Giclée paper by a specialist fine art printer in London. Framing is arranged through Derek Tanous, one of Europe’s finest traditional framers, using 200-year-old wooden moulds. International shipping is managed by Momart, with full customs documentation and white-glove delivery wherever your property is located. Many clients commission additional framed copies for other homes, offices or boats.
“Maps commissioned by country estates are valuable historical records as well as being aesthetic objects”
“Producing some of the finest bespoke maps today. They would look the part in shoot lodges, farm offices and drawing rooms across the world.”
Frequently Asked Questions
-
For full commissions, yes. Anthony typically spends several days on site — sometimes across more than one season — walking boundaries, driving tracks, talking to keepers, managers and farm hands. The time on site is what makes the map something a data provider cannot replicate. Studio maps, produced without a site visit, are also available for smaller or simpler properties.
-
Yes. For estates with significant physical archaeology, sites are identified, located and plotted at their precise positions, numbered with Roman numerals that link to a chronological timeline beside the border. The archaeology sits within the cartography, not alongside it.
-
Yes, on larger commissions. The condensed history of the property — typically around 1,200 words, divided by era — is typeset and embedded within the framed print as a formal written panel. The etymology of every named site is researched and recorded alongside it. The names on the map are not labels. Each one is a record of who was here and what happened.
-
Most clients don't. The map can be made now and updated later — around a fifth of the studio's annual work is returning to maps already made. For significant landscape projects, Rural Maps can map the estate as it will become rather than as it stands today, giving the client a permanent record of the finished vision before the work is complete.
-
This is one of the most common reasons for commissioning a map. A new owner taking on an estate — especially one that has been in another family for generations — is in exactly the position Rural Maps addresses. The survey work recovers what the outgoing family knew, the survey data records what the land actually contains, and the knowledge capture process ensures that nothing walks out of the gate with the people leaving.
-
UK estate maps begin at £11,000 for smaller properties without a site visit. Full commissions with Anthony on site begin at £25,000, scaling with property size, complexity and research depth. Framing is arranged separately through Derek Tanous, one of Europe's finest traditional framers, and priced individually. A full pricing guide is available on the Pricing page.
Discover the process
To learn more about how a commission works, visit the process page.
Contact us
If you are looking to commission a custom illustrated property map, we would be delighted to work with you.
Contact us today to request a bespoke proposal, receive a quote, or ask for a physical sample draft to be posted to you. We will guide you through the process and create a map that truly reflects your property.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
It begins with a conversation about your property and what you’d like the map to capture. Anthony will discuss scope, likely site visit requirements, and a rough timeline. Most decorative commissions take between four and nine months from first discussion to delivered print.
-
Yes — for almost all decorative commissions. The site visit is where most of the real work happens: walking boundaries, talking to the people who know the land, finding what the data providers don’t know. For larger properties this may mean multiple visits across more than one season.
-
The survey work is largely Anthony’s own. What he asks of you is your knowledge: time walking the land together, access to records and memories, and the chance to talk to the people — keepers, managers, farm hands — who know the property best. Either way, the land gives up its secrets.
-
Most clients don’t. There are two options. The first is to commission now and update later — around a fifth of the studio’s annual work is returning to maps already made, adding new woodland, new buildings and new illustrations as the property evolves. The second is to map the finished vision rather than the current state. At a Wiltshire estate, an extensive parkland design still under construction was mapped complete — giving the client a permanent record of what the estate will become. Being mid-project is never a reason to wait.
-
Yes — for commissions involving significant historical depth. The condensed history of the property, divided by era, is typeset and embedded within the framed print as a formal written panel. The history does not exist separately from the map. It is part of the object.
-
Item descSurvey work is conducted using handheld GPS equipment, typically accurate to within a few feet. At the scales at which these maps are produced — usually between 1:5,000 and 1:22,000 — that is entirely adequate. A few feet on the ground is invisible at map scale. What matters is comprehensive coverage: walking every boundary, driving every track, finding every feature that no satellite image or Ordnance Survey sheet has recorded. This is not engineering survey work with theodolites and total stations. It is thorough, intelligent ground-level observation by someone who knows what a map of this kind needs to contain.ription
-
Yes. Returning to maps already made is a regular part of the studio’s work: new land purchases, additional tree planting, new buildings, updated illustrations. The map is a living document and can be reprinted as the property evolves.
-
Yes — physical archaeological sites are identified, located and plotted at their precise positions, numbered with Roman numerals that link to a chronological timeline beside the border. Mesolithic, Roman, medieval and Victorian periods can all be represented on the same sheet as the working estate.
-
Maps are printed in London and shipped worldwide. Momart handles custom crating, shipping, customs and white-glove delivery. Maps have been delivered to clients across the United States, Europe, Australia and South America.
-
Studio maps — produced without a site visit — start from £10,000. Full commissions with a site visit start from £40,000. US and international commissions start from $45,000. Please see the pricing page or contact us to discuss your property.