Using maps to find out about the past
Old maps can provide topographical and other information about places that is not readily available from other sources. Your local county record office is likely to hold many of the historic maps that survive for any town or village; other maps might be held by The National Archives in Kew, in local museums, large public libraries and in private collections. These may include estate, enclosure, tithe and Ordnance Survey maps, and plans for proposed new roads, canals and railways, which can include some detail of the surrounding area.
This guide gives tips and advice on:
- Map scales
- Ordnance Survey
- Post-war planning maps
- Geological maps
- 1910 Finance Act maps
- Estate maps
- Enclosure maps
- Tithe maps
- Maps and plans of roads, canals and railways
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