Ordnance Survey large scale town plans, 1840s-1890s
Symbols
These are just a selection of the more common graphic features shown on these maps. For more information, please consult Richard Oliver's book Ordnance Survey maps: a concise guide for historians (London : Charles Close, 1993).
Buildings
Carmine colour = brick or stone | |
Grey colour = iron or wood | |
Blue and/or cross-hatched = glass | |
Roofed archway/alleyway/passageway/vennel/wynd | |
Interior layout and seating for public buildings | |
Brick or stone wall |
Woodland
Single tree - various styles | |
Mixed woodland | |
Mixed woodland - different style | |
Mixed woodland - different style | |
Fir trees | |
Oak trees | |
Birch trees | |
Brushwood and Bushes | |
Furze | |
Osiers |
Land
Shingle/pebbles | |
Sand | |
Moor | |
Cliff/escarpment/quarry | |
Flat rocks | |
Sloping masonry | |
Cutting - sloping downwards to water | |
Embankment - sloping upwards to central path |
Heights
(in feet, above mean sea level, Liverpool)
Spot height/surface level of ground | |
Benchmark (OS mark on building, wall, etc.) | |
Arrow to show direction of flowing water |