Category: Illustrated Maps

Illustrated map of Colchester Cemetery

Published on by emmametcalfeillustration
Bespoke illustrated hand drawn map of Colchester Cemetery showing wildlife species living there by map illustrator Emma Metcalfe
Large format illustrated visitor map for A1 sign boards

Here is my new visitor map for Colchester Cemetery. The client required a bespoke map which would appeal to both casual visitors walking in the area and also those making a special trip to visit the grave of a loved one.

The map needed to be flexible enough to be used in a variety of ways – on large format A1 sign boards, as A4 visitor handouts and also on Colchester Borough Council’s website.

The large format version includes a small selection of many wildlife species that live in the cemetery, including Mutjac deer, woodpeckers, bats and owls.

hand drawn illustration black and white line map illustrated bespoke visitor orientation map of Colchester Cemetery
Smaller, simpler version of the illustrated map for A4 visitor handouts

Illustrated map of the historic City of London: Dr Johnson’s House

Published on by emmametcalfeillustration

Illustration of the City of London in the 1700s during the life of Dr Johnson

I really enjoyed working on this bespoke illustrated map of the historic City of London in the 1700s, commissioned by Dr Johnson’s House. Dr Samuel Johnson was a prolific writer, perhaps best known for writing the first modern dictionary of the English language published in 1755.

17 Gough Square (the house where he lived whilst writing his famous dictionary) is a fascinating place but rather small. I was commissioned to devise and illustrate a walking trail with the aim of  allowing visitors to extend their visit outside the house itself, and to give a sense of what the City of London was like during Johnson’s lifetime.

The trail features famous sites such as St Paul’s Cathedral and The Old Bailey, but also hidden gems such as Cutlers’ Hall, St Bride’s Church and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub.

One of the challenges in creating this trail was the rapidly changing skyline of the City of London. With so many buildings seemingly being built, demolished, extended and remodelled every day, I opted to focus in on the details of just the historic buildings, suggesting the locations of more modern buildings with simple outlines.

I also enjoyed the challenge of creating a map which echoes the visual style of maps from the 1700s.

Read more about commissioning a bespoke illustrated map.