Old Map of Suffolk in 1844 by Samuel Lewis - Ipswich, Woodbridge, Bury St Edmunds

Drawn to accompany Samuel Lewis's celebrated Topographical Dictionary of England, this map of Suffolk dates from 1844 and captures the county in fine, hand-coloured detail during the years before the railways and industry transformed rural England. Ipswich, the county town on the River Orwell, sits at the heart of the sheet, while Bury St Edmunds, Woodbridge, Sudbury and Lowestoft, England's most easterly town, are all marked along with the smaller market towns and villages that filled the Suffolk countryside at the time.

Suffolk's long and distinctive history is written across the map. Framlingham, with its still-formidable medieval castle, and Clare, once home to one of the most powerful fortresses in East Anglia, both appear, as does Woodbridge, close to the ancient burial ground at Sutton Hoo, one of the most important Anglo-Saxon sites in the country. The map also traces the coastal towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh, the market town of Stowmarket, and the River Stour, which for centuries formed the boundary with neighbouring Essex. Together these details paint a picture of a county built on wool, farming and the sea, long before it became the quiet rural retreat it is known as today.

This Suffolk map makes a striking addition to any home, from a coastal cottage to a city apartment, and its period charm suits kitchens, studies and living rooms alike. It is especially well suited as a retirement gift for someone planning to spend more time in the Suffolk countryside, an anniversary present for a couple who married in the county, or a thoughtful Mother's Day gift for a mother who grew up near Ipswich or Bury St Edmunds. Printed unframed on high-quality paper, it is a distinctive, ready-to-style piece of wall art with genuine historical depth.