diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersion.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersion.java
index cf75beb8b..59ec7b9f9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersion.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersion.java
@@ -34,14 +34,15 @@ class BuildVersion {
     /**
      * @return version of ChronicleMap being used, or NULL if its not known
      */
-    public static String version() {
+    public static String readVersion() {
 
+        // the best way to get the version is to read it from the manifest
         final String version = getVersionFromManifest();
 
         if (version != null)
             return version;
 
-        // as a fall back for development we will read the version from the pom file
+        // as a fall back for development, we will read the version from the pom file
         return getVersionFromPom();
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
index b64a2b89a..9600769f6 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
     static final int MAX_ENTRY_OVERSIZE_FACTOR = 64;
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 2L;
     final Class<K> kClass;
+    final String mapVersion;
     final SizeMarshaller keySizeMarshaller;
     final BytesReader<K> originalKeyReader;
     final KI originalKeyInterop;
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
         kClass = keyBuilder.eClass;
         keySizeMarshaller = keyBuilder.sizeMarshaller();
         originalKeyReader = keyBuilder.reader();
+        mapVersion = BuildVersion.readVersion();
 
         originalKeyInterop = (KI) keyBuilder.interop();
 
@@ -181,6 +183,13 @@ class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
         initTransients();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return the version of Chronicle Map this instance was built with
+     */
+    String version() {
+        return mapVersion;
+    }
+
     final long segmentHash(long hash) {
         return hashSplitting.segmentHash(hash);
     }
@@ -3018,4 +3027,5 @@ class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super KI>,
                     map, null, map.valueIdentity(), segmentHash, map, true);
         }
     }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersionTest.java b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersionTest.java
index 2f6ef24c5..3c20c9f17 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersionTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/BuildVersionTest.java
@@ -32,7 +32,28 @@ public class BuildVersionTest {
     @Test
     public void test() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
         // checks that we always get a version
-        Assert.assertNotNull(BuildVersion.version());
+        Assert.assertNotNull(BuildVersion.readVersion());
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * check that the map records the version
+     *
+     * @throws IOException
+     * @throws InterruptedException
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testVersion() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+
+        try (ChronicleMap<Integer, Double> expected = ChronicleMapBuilder.of(Integer.class, Double
+                .class)
+                .create()) {
+            expected.put(1, 1.0);
+
+            String version = ((VanillaChronicleMap) expected).version();
+            Assert.assertNotNull(BuildVersion.readVersion(), version);
+
+        }
     }
 
 }