Old Maps...

[GrumpyGregry]

For the princely sum of one hundred and fifty of your English pennies I have just purchased as pre-loved copy of "Newnes Motorists Touring Maps and Gazetteer" sub-titled "Complete section maps of the British Isles".

The mapping is Bartholomews, mainly four miles to the inch, all the pre-Beeching railways lines. No copyright dates. The Crawley by-pass is shown, as is Gatwick racecourse. But no New Town and no airport so I am guess the mapping is late-30's even if publication was post-war. Gazetteer describes Crawley, par. and vil., W. Sussex, 7m N.E. of Horsham ; pop. 453.

I love this sort of thing and it is going into the book case in the Gentlemens Club Room we are creating in the former dining room. Alongside the wireless.

Does anyone else indulge in this sort of whimsy?

 

[Tim Hall]

You have to ask?

On my bookshelf is an OS map of Horley/Crawley, revised 1930-something, major roads 1948(?). Crawley, Ifield and Three Bridges are separate communities, bypass is there, but no airport (I think). There's a nice hand drawn pencil arc showing the line of the A23 round the airport, courtesy of the AP.

The AP is a member of the local history society and custodian of maps. Consequently scattered around his house from time to time are copies of old maps, (like 19th Century) in big scale, showing Horley and its surroundings. The strangest bit is the omnipresent railway even way back then.

 

[Milkfloat]

I make maps for a living, albeit digital ones. However, my house and office are stuffed to the gills with interesting historical ones.

 

[MontyVeda]

I've got a few reproduction OS maps; Lancaster & Kendal from 1864, 1905 and 1925, plus Lancaster 1845 and 1910, and Morecambe from 1911 and 1931.

...and a folder full of digital maps nicked and assembled from the interweb of Lancashire and Lancaster from 1610, 1684, 1695, 1778, 1786, 1807, 1815, 1824, 1844, 1852, 1877, 1890, 1910. 1919, 1929, 1931 and 1950.

Then there's this one which is labelled as circa 1360....

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Not that old, 1979?
Russian military map of Greenock (and Gourock)
Framed and on the wall at my desk.

An image grab from online, gives you an idea...

 

[Globalti]

These old French maps of the Mont Blanc massif in 1:10,000 scale are fantastic framed: https://ignrando.fr/boutique/carte-ancienne-aiguille-du-midi.html

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Ahhh the goode olde dayes.

 

[psmiffy]

Whimsical - no - I have about 50kg of maps various - plus a hundred or so geological maps - and a fair few Gb of 10250 historical maps - all tools - for working out the history of places - maps can be beautiful things but they are nothing without context

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Whimsical - no - I have about 50kg of maps various - plus a hundred or so geological maps - and a fair few Gb of 10250 historical maps - all tools - for working out the history of places - maps can be beautiful things but they are nothing without context

Is weight the standard measurement for quantity of mappage?

 

[Brains]

I have a small chest of draws for all my maps, hundreds of them.
My favourites are four about A5 size maps drawn by the Jesuits in the 1670's showing the Silk Route from Samarkand to Beijing.
Surprisingly accurate when compared to a modern rendition

Somewhere I also have a set of the most inaccurate modern maps i have ever come across, Spanish Milatary maps of the Pyrenees, various lakes, rives and mountains all missing or in the wrong place. It made for an interesting walking expedition in the late 1980's as we had to get locals to draw in major missing features.

On forgets bu even as recently as the 1980's maps were secret, most of the locals had never seen a OS type of map before and were often fascinated and assumed we were spy's or something. Spanish Military maps were not obtainable in Spain, but were obtainable over the counter in Stanfords Map shop in London!

 

[Andy_R]

My son is a Scout and loves maps. His bedroom is decorated with reproduction 1857 OS maps of our area used as wall paper, intersperced with up to date 1:25k mapping. It looks really good.

 

[psmiffy]

Yup - most definitely - always check how many kg I bring back off tour with me