TOPIC:

As the map was apparently produced for the tourist trade, I wonder if it was the work of the proprietor of the Colenso Hotel. This paragraph appeared in several British newspapers in November 1899:

A similar map to the one posted by Sturgy Everhard but covering a larger area:



The text underneath reads:

The country north, east and west of Ladysmith has already been delineated in our earlier contour maps. The above shows the country some twenty miles south of the besieged town, and particularly the portion surrounding Colenso which has now become a centre of interest in view of the investment of Ladysmith. Whether Sir George White’s camp at the latter place is wholly invested is still somewhat doubtful, but there is no room for doubt that the boers are in occupation of some portion of the ground south of Ladysmith, and are in a position to threaten Colenso.

As our map clearly shows, the weak point in our position at Colenso is the bridge over the Tugela, the destruction of which would render the task of sending troops to the relief of Sir George White one of extreme difficulty. There seems no reason, however – in spite of the curious report that the British force has abandoned Colenso, and retired further south – to suppose that the bridge has thus far not been destroyed, our telegrams containing the information that the Boer shells have failed to reach Colenso, while the bridge itself is understood to be protected by a defensive position known as Fort Wylie. As our map further indicates, there are, west of the bridge over the Tugela, and within a very short distance of Colenso, two drifts or fords. These, however, in the swollen condition of the river, cannot be available at present.

I believe the bridge mentioned was blown up by the Boers nine days after the article appeared in the Leeds Mercury.

The artist, who misspelt Chieveley", was Carl Hentschel who has a Wikipedia page which tells us:

He was born in Poland in 1864 but the family moved to London when he was five. In London he became “a British artist, photographer, printmaker, inventor and businessperson.” And “He developed techniques for printing illustrations, particularly the Hentschel Colourtype Process using three colours, which have been described as "revolutionising" newspaper illustration.” He was also “the original of ‘Harris’ in Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (1889).” And in 1902 the company he set up “printed Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. Thus the artist is as interesting as his map. He died in 1930.

Just to add some more pictures to Everhards tourist map:



Description
COLENSO, SOUTH AFRICA, C 1900. A HORSE TEAM AND WAGON STANDING AT THE SPOT WHERE COLONEL LONG WAS WOUNDED AND BRITISH GUNS WERE LOST DURING THE BATTLE OF COLENSO IN 1899



Description
COLENSO, SOUTH AFRICA, C 1900. HART'S HILL WHERE THE IRISH BRIGADE SUFFERED HEAVY LOSSES AT THE BATTLE OF COLENSO. GENERAL HART WAS IN COMMAND OF THE BRIGADE



Description
COLENSO, SOUTH AFRICA, C 1900. MONUMENT TO IRISH TROOPS ON HART'S HILL.

Lombard's Kop and Gun Hill, photographed from Convent Hill.

With Cemetery Hill, Helpmakaar Ridge and Devon Post in the middle distance.




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And a similar view, this time in the form of a pen and ink drawing, executed by Colonel Dartnell, Natal Police.

During the siege, Dartnell drew a 3.5 meter long panoramic view of Ladysmith from Convent Hill. This consisted of ten individual drawings, of which this is No. 1.

Defences of Ladysmith from Convent Hill, looking East – ‘Devon Post, Helpmakaar Ridge, &c’.
Gun Hill, Lombard’s Kop, to Umbulwana Hill. Boer posts in the distance.
The Imperial Light Horse, Natal Volunteers & Natal Police made a sortie on the night of the 8th December 1899 and destroyed a Long Tom & a Howitzer and captured a Maxim on Gun Hill. / Siege of Ladysmith 1899, 1900.

With Colonel Dartnell's initials bottom left corner: JGD



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Some of my latest photographs taken yesterday at Platrand (Caesars Camp). It was an adventure to get there, not well sign posted, and the road leading up the hill in need of repair.

However, the best part was that the graves were well looked after and the view was spectacular!