We started selling maps way back in 1981, servicing bookshops, stationers and other retail outlets in the South East of England.

The business gradually started changing to a mainly mail order Internet company in 1995 - one of the first to see the possibilities of the Internet and initially 75% of our customers were based in the USA. Now the biggest proportion of our 30,000 + customers are in the UK. Our customers range from well known PLCs etc to small businesses and thousands of indvidual members of the public, many of whom have been buying maps from us for years.

The business has been operating since 1986 in the small village of Elstead in Surrey - and the name was changed from SCMS (Stephen Colebrooke Map Service) to "Elstead Maps" not long after moving here.

Despite the automated nature of our web site, we are still able to give personal service when necessary .

Born in Enfield, North London, I can't claim to have been a resident of Elstead all my life, but while tracing back my family history to the 17th century, there appear to have been generations of Colebrookes living in Steep, near Petersfield, and also connections with Midhurst, Haslemere, and the only other Elsted (spelt differently) in the UK. All are villages and towns just a few miles away from Elstead. Moving here in 1986 felt like coming home.

2006 Update.

" Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans" (John Lennon).

In April 2006, after almost 20 years in Elstead, the business moved to a business unit in Bramley, near Guildford, just a few miles away. In April 2007 I moved house to Farncombe nr Godalming and found myself living next to a relative of my neighbours back in Elstead! plus ça change ?!!

Stephen Colebrooke

Telephone 01483 898 099