Ordnance Survey Abbreviations
We are very grateful to Dr Richard Oliver for compiling this list and allowing us to use it. The abbreviations have been compiled from a number of sources, relating to all scales of Ordnance Survey mapping in Scotland, England and Wales. For more information on these abbreviations and their interpretation, please consult Richard Oliver's book Ordnance Survey maps: a concise guide for historians. 3rd edition (London : Charles Close Society, 2013).
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| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Baulk, Bank, Base, Basin, Bridge, Broad |
| B | Boiler |
| B | Boulevard, Broadway, Brow |
| B | Break in dual carriageway |
| B | Break in house numbers |
| B Md | Boundary Mound |
| B Mk | Boundary Mark |
| B Rod | Brass Rod |
| B-P | By-pass |
| Banff | Banffshire |
| Bapt | Baptist |
| BATT | Battlement |
| BB | Base of Bank |
| BB | Buried Block |
| BC | Borough Constituency |
| BC | Burgh Constituency |
| BD | Boulevard |
| Bdy | Boundary |
| BDY | Broadway |
| Bdy M | Boundary Mark or Mound |
| Beds | Bedfordshire |
| Berks | Berkshire |
| Berwick | Berwickshire |
| BG | Burial Ground |
| BH | Beer House |
| Bk | Bank |
| BK | Bank (building) |
| BK H | Bake House |
| Bks | Barracks |
| BLDG(S) | Building(s) |
| Bldgs | Buildings |
| Blg | Building |
| BM | Bench Mark |
| BN | Barn |
| Bn | Broken (hedge or bank) |
| Bo | Boulder |
| BO H | ?Boiler House |
| Bol | Bollard |
| Boro | Borough |
| Boro Const | Borough Constituency |
| BP | Boundary Post or Plate |
| BP | Bridle Path |
| BR | Brass Rivet |
| Br | Bridge |
| BR | Bridge |
| BR | Bridle Road |
| BR | Brow |
| BR H | Brew House |
| Br P | Braced Post |
| Brac/RG | Bracken and Rough grassland |
| Breck | Brecknockshire |
| BS | Boundary Stone |
| BS W⌃D | Boundary Stone - War Department |
| Bty | Battery |
| Bucks | Buckinghamshire |
| Burgh Const | Burgh Constituency |
| Burial Gd | Burial Ground |
| Bus | Omnibus |
| Bute | Buteshire |
| BUTT | Buttress |
| BVD | Boulevard |
| BY | Broadway |
| BY-PS | By-pass |
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z