Amazing drawn map of town a labour of love

Buy photos » Jane Tomlinson with her map of the town. (s)

MAPPING out her incredible vision of Stratford has been a labour of love for Jane Tomlinson.

Jane, born and bred in Stratford, created an amazingly detailed illustrated mind's eye map of the town over the course of four months.

The map plots out the town in the way she sees it - featuring its buildings and roads alongside some more unusual elements including references to its history, nature, activities and of course some Shakespearean references.

Her friends and family even make cameo appearances in the black and white drawn map - which is available for people to buy.

Jane, who grew up in Bridgetown but who now lives in Oxfordshire, told the Observer: "It has been a real labour of love because Stratford is so close to my heart.

"I've done several others but this one took me the longest - it's really a bit of a love letter to the town - my appreciation of it.

"It's far from an objective map - it's just the way I see the town having grown up in it so I have given significance to the things which were significant to me.

"In away it's almost about my life really."

After hours of research in the town and thousands of photographs, Jane began the map and finished it one go. The original is now on display at Montpellier gallery in the town.

"It is an organic process," she explained. "The idea came first and then the research and it just grows from there really. I don't do drafts I just go went back to it and let it grow on its own over the course of a few months.

"It is something very different because it has some meaning to it."

Visit www.janetomlinson.com to buy copies of the map which are priced £4.99.