Old Map of Hampshire in 1947 by Ernest Clegg - Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester

This atmospheric pictorial map of Hampshire was created by the artist and cartographer Ernest Clegg in 1947, in the years immediately following the Second World War, when decorative county maps like this one were prized as a way of celebrating Britain's landscapes and coastal heritage. Clegg combines an accurate outline of the county with a wealth of hand-drawn illustration, marking out Hampshire's towns, countryside and naval associations at a moment when the South Coast's wartime role was still fresh in the public memory.

Look closely and you will find Southampton and Portsmouth, two of the largest ports in Europe, sitting at the heart of the composition, alongside the cathedral city of Winchester and the seaside resort of Bournemouth. The Isle of Wight is picked out just off the coast, while inland the map records Whitchurch, Andover, Eastleigh and New Alresford, with Havant and Hayling Island marking the eastern shoreline. Clegg also illustrates the submarine defence lines that once guarded these waters, a nod to the fact that almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy was based along this stretch of coast.

A map like this suits a wide range of occasions: a housewarming for someone settling in Hampshire, a retirement gift for a former sailor or serviceman, a milestone birthday, or a thoughtful Christmas present for a proud Hampshire native living further afield. Every line of Clegg's original artwork, from the smallest hand-lettered place name to the decorative border illustrations, has been carefully restored so that the fine engraving detail comes through clearly in print.