Making Maps: The Story of the UK's Ordnance Survey

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[charlottehardy]

I was taught to read an OS map as a child and my Dad bought one for everywhere we visited and a few places we didn’t. Very useful skill to have.

[SongsOfDragons]

I worked on editing the 1: 10, 000/MasterMap scale for a few years for the OS. It was fun! This scale was the realm of the utter attention to detail - you could see things like ALLL of the rudely-named private enclosures and remote hills (Lord Hereford's Knob, anyone?), and the ancient GIS programme we used gave you the WORST Tetris effect ever - imagine looking at coloured lines on a grey background all day. They had the real OG Kent map up on a display board once. It also had the best work perk ever - 'factory first' paper maps sent to us from the printer for the last QC check and unable to be sold otherwise; I have a whole bookcase full of the things covering a good chunk of Britain.

Oh and Simon they aren't in that building any more. They moved recently to the outskirts of Soton to a custom fancy building called Explorer House near the M271.

[TheLadyMaul]

If one studies the Jack The Ripper case, the Ordnance Survey maps of London that were done right around 1888 are must-haves. They are outstandingly detailed. And they mean that even if you aren't British, you know at least a *little* about what those maps are (and after you watch this video, you'll know much much more).

[OakKnobFarm]

In the US we have similar USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) topographical maps with the whole nation split into quadrangles. I still use mine any time I'm hiking, in addition to carrying a GPS

[angharadstone]

So pleased that this covered MasterMap, so many only think about paper maps which are such a small part of OS's amazing work

[More-Space-In-Ear]

I love maps, I loved geography at school and was extremely happy when I got a Collins world map for Christmas and spent many an hour looking through it. Quite proud that they made the maps in my home town and many friends who worked there, they now have moved to a purpose built building on the outskirts of Southampton..

[pamelamays]

Maybe it's my imagination, but, to me, Simon becomes a little more British when he makes a video about his home country.🧐☕🇬🇧

[oscaburns]

I grew up in the 70's, 'reading' maps.
I love them, I could sit and 'read' a map for hours. And OS maps, were the absolute best.

[ignitionfrn]

1:25 - Chapter 1 - Ordnance survey
4:00 - Chapter 2 - Origins
6:05 - Mid roll ads
7:25 - Chapter 3 - An anglo gallic dispute
9:25 - Chapter 4 - The principal triangulation of britain
11:30 - Chapter 5 - Irish maps
12:35 - Chapter 6 - New era
15:00 - Chapter 7 - Wars
16:45 - Chapter 8 - Into the modern world

[geodkyt]

Fun thing about OS Survey maps. I used one to locate the small town (now apparently a neighborhood of a city that absorbed it) in Ireland named for my ancestors who were "encouraged" to "settle" way back when, before being "asked" to leave for America about 400 years ago. LOL

[joegordon]

Learned to read map and compass for orienteering with Boy's Brigade, handy skill, even today. Our bookshop still sells a few maps, mostly to walkers, partly because they prefer the paper over digital map on phone, but also if they are hillwalking in the middle of nowhere and have no phone signal, they paper map keeps working!

[patwentland]

I learned how to read topological maps, road maps and marine charts when I was young (long long time ago). I learned how to use a lensatic compass as well as using a sun compass to navigate the earth. Simon, just look at your video on the Carrington event and you should be able to see just how incredibly precious those drawn on paper maps are. We are playing cosmic Russian Roulette with a star able to wipe out our geo position satellites as Wells’s the power grid and internet. I think this is something that should be taught in schools around the world. Love your videos!!!

[TheDanEdwards]

Maps are wonderful things. Here in the US we did not have an Ordnance Survey but much of the US, once the natives were either wiped out or moved, was mapped in detail (in order to plat the land for original purchase.) Then later the US Geological Survey produced (and still does) wonderful maps and there are specialty maps by other government agencies. And most states have their own geological agencies making high resolution maps, and of course each county will have detailed plats. Many Americans never look at these things, though they are quite useful and the older ones have a lot of historical information embedded in them.

[MusashiSamurai]

I love my old Ordnance Survey maps - the detail, quality and varieties are awesome.
They also produce some decent enough apps.

[BrynBuck]

Nothing impresses your hopelessly lost friends more than being able to produce a mental map without a smartphone and navigate by it. Anyone can obediently follow a GPS guide but it's a worthwhile skill to read and understand maps without a voice telling you where to go, and one that we should teach regardless of the media is paper or screen.

[tornadofairy]

I worked as a Cartographic Draughtsman Grade 4 with the OS after leaving school in 1969. (Grade 4 meant I could draw sloping masonry, amongst other things - weird what you remember after all these years!). Starting in Large Scales (1:2500 and 1:1250 - 25 and 50 inches to the mile) which were called plans, not maps. These were scribed on printed plastic sheets with a sharpened gramophone needle (anyone remember 78rpm records?). After a while I moved onto Medium Scales (1:10, 000 which replaced the old 6 inch); here it was a ruling pen and Plakra poster paint instead, plus moving things around. In case you are wondering, a plan shows where things are exactly, a map shows things relative to each other; some things however are where they really are and act as datum points for the rest. It was a great time, most of us were young and away from home, the social life was good, there was pride in producing the maps and the money wasn't bad. At the time the top positions were still serving officers from the Royal Engineers, though it was slowly changing to an all civillian organisation.

[Sallyth_]

Very proud to have worked at the Ordnance Survey for 23 years, first in 1:10, 000 drawing section (yes, hand drawing) then in digital mapping and finally database development.

[ollieb]

Whenever I visit a new area to camp and cycle or walk I like to pick up an ordnance survey map, kind of like a memento I suppose though there's something nice to physically actually having something without scrolling round the small screen.

[PhillipBicknell]

I was taught to use an OS map in my O-level Geography and am eternally grateful for the skill. Batteries go flat, satellites get obscured, but a map and compass keeps going - albeit with the map in a water-resistant case because of Britain's maritime weather :-)

[ernestbywater]

Over the years I've found the old Ordnance Survey maps instrumental in helping people to trace their ancestors due to the old maps showing the houses and streets that no longer exist. Thus helping to identify which set of census and parish records to be looking at. One search that I helped someone with was is the area known as the Isle of Dogs and much of which is now known as the London Docklands. An ancestor lived in a street which we were able to find and trace through successive maps. The area had been swamp, then dug out a became a waterway for ships, then filled in and became streets, dug out again and became docks again, then filled in again, dug out again, and finally filled in again. I also found some of the names of places and churches extremely funny, but I've not yet found one better than 'All Hallows by the Tower, Barking.'