Explore Georeferenced Maps - Help
This application allows a set of historical map mosaics to be viewed. These are sets of maps that have had their sheet margins cropped to create a seamless georeferenced layer or mosaic. The application complements our Find by Place application that allows individual maps to be selected and viewed.
Main search process
1. Choose the historic map mosaic that you would like to search from the left-hand list, and then use the gazetteer or map to zoom in to view the detail of the mosaic.
2. Select the 2. Zoom to this historic overlay link to zoom to the selected overlay. This is particularly useful for the large-scale town plans, that only display at more detailed zoom levels. A choice of different modern map mosaics can be selected from the upper-right drop-down list. We suggest that you keep the Base Map - Google satellite layer selected, as this allows zooming in to greatest detail with the OS Town Plan overlays.
3. To take away the historic map overlay to display the base map layer, slide the transparency slider bar in the top centre of the map to the left.
The following historic map mosaics are included in this application:
| England |
| Ordnance Survey one-inch to the mile, New Popular - 1945-57 |
| Bartholomew Half-Inch to the mile, 1902-1906 |
| Ireland |
| Bartholomew - Ireland - Quarter Inch to the mile, 1940 |
| British War Office - Ireland - One Inch to the mile, 1941-43 - (G.S.G.S. 4136) |
Gazetteer, National Grid Reference, and Counties/Parishes for searching
The Gazetteer at the top of the map allows you to locate your area on the map using modern place names from Google, as well as by British National Grid Reference - 2,4,6,or 10 figures. Further left, drop-down boxes allow counties and parishes (based on their names and boundaries in the 1940s) to be searched. In all cases, the map will then position to the place, National Grid Reference, county or parish that has been selected.
Mapping
By default, the map shows modern Google satellite imagery as a base layer, and the OS one-inch to the mile, 1885-1900 historic map overlay on top. Select one of the historic map overlay mosaics from the left-hand list to view a different historic map mosaic. Ordnance Survey Opendata, or Google maps, satellite, hybrid and terrain views, along with Bing Satellite, Road and Hybrid base layers, 1920s mapping from the NLS Historic Maps API, or OpenStreetMap mapping are also available as base map layers from the upper-right drop-down list. Double-click on the map, or SHIFT and drag with the mouse to zoom in on a rectangle, or click the zoom slider (upper left) to zoom in on the map.
Zoom to this historic overlay
In order to make the location and context of the historic layers clearer, the historic map mosaics are displayed overlaid on a modern Google satellite or map backdrop. If your selected layer is not visible, you may need to select the 2. Zoom to this historic overlay option.
We also suggest that you keep the Base Map - Google satellite layer selected, as this allows zooming in to greatest detail with the OS Town Plan overlays.
Print view / screen capture
This allows you to view the current map display so that the map fills the whole screen. This can be useful for creating a less cluttered screen grab of a map detail, or for printing out small extracts.
Click the 'Print View' tab in the lower left. On Microsoft Windows, press the PRINT SCREEN button (PrtSc or PrtScr on some keyboards) to then capture the entire screen. Press the Alt key in combination with the PRINT SCREEN button to capture the currently selected window. You can then paste this screen capture into a document, e-mail message, or other file for saving or printing. On Apple / Macintosh, there is no PRINT SCREEN button; instead, key combinations are used that start with ⌘ and Shift.
Measurement tools
These tools allow you to trace a route to measure distance, or trace an area to measure its extent. Once selected, click the points on your route or area, and double-click with the mouse to stop the current measurement. Select the 'Return to normal mouse navigation' to cancel these measurement tools and use the mouse for normal selection, pan and zoom functions.
Add Location to URL
Select this to add a suffix to the main maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/ application URL to indicate a particular location and overlay layer. The URL now changes dynamically as you zoom and pan the map, or if you alter visible map layers and overlays. Copy the URL in your web browser window to save or send your specific current view of the interface as a URL.
Location
In the lower-right of the map, the location of your mouse position is shown as a British National Grid Reference, as British National Grid Eastings and Northings, and as longitude and latitude.
Application
This application uses GeoServer and OpenLayers, and was customised by Klokan Technologies.
Please email maps@nls.uk for further assistance, or to provide general comments/feedback.