Original Home Office Prison Service reference map titled “Penal Establishments at January 1973”, showing the full network of prisons and detention institutions across England and Wales. This large official government map was compiled from information supplied by the Home Office and printed by the Ministry of Defence.

The map identifies different types of penal establishments including local prisons, training prisons, borstals, remand centres and detention centres, with symbols and accommodation capacity information. An inset map highlights the London prison area.

This example appears to be a working office copy. It contains handwritten annotations added after publication, including notes referencing later years in the 1970s and comments beside certain institutions. These annotations suggest the map was used as a reference document and updated while in use.

Material like this was produced for government and administrative use rather than general sale, which makes surviving examples uncommon.

Details
• Title: Penal Establishments at January 1973
• Coverage: England and Wales
• Source: Information supplied by the Home Office
• Publisher: Department of the Environment
• Crown Copyright: 1973
• Printed by: MOD
• Map reference: Desk Atlas Map No.125 – First Revision
• Shows: prisons, borstals, detention centres, remand centres and prison regions
• Includes legend explaining establishment types and accommodation capacity
• Features handwritten annotations added after publication

Condition
• Original large folded map
• Fold lines from storage
• Age toning to the paper
• Handwritten notes and updates visible on the map
• Minor edge wear and small marks consistent with age and use
• Overall good vintage condition for a 1970s government wall map

See my other items, happy to combine postage. I have lots of other items, let me know if there’s something in particular.

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Rarity

Scarce specialist government ephemera. Official Home Office prison system maps from this period do not appear often, and annotated working copies are harder to find.