Boundaries
Free to use georeferenced boundaries of Edinburgh. Shapefiles to use in GIS Applications and KML to view in Google Earth. View licence and terms of use.
These boundaries are available in both the British National Grid, OSGB 1936 (EPSG:27700) coordinate system and WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326). The versions in the WGS84 coordinate system are compatible with both our 'Build Map' and Ext Map. Detailed information about working with different coordinate systems is available in our help guide page on Coordinate Reference Systems.
- To use the Shapefiles, save the .zip file to your computer and extract the enclosed files.
- To then add these as layers in your own project, follow the instructions for the specific Georeferencing software you are using. Please read our instructions detailing how to do this for ArcGIS and Quantum GIS.
- To use the Google Earth KML, click the link and open in Google Earth or save to your computer.
You will need to download the Google Earth Software.
For further information about which maps were used to capture these boundaries a Spreadsheet of the Edinburgh Municipal Ward and District Boundary changes can be viewed.
| Boundary | Shapefile British National Grid (EPSG:27700) |
Shapefile with Ext Map data (EPSG:4326) |
Google Earth KML |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ancient and Extended Royalties of the City The Several Extensions of the Police and Municipal Boundaries 1685 - 1885 |
Shapefiles | - | KML |
| Bartholomew Chronological Map of Edinburgh Showing the Expansion of the City 1919 |
Shapefiles | - | 2D |
2D Timeline 3D | 3D Timeline |
| Edinburgh Cooperative Building Company Edinburgh Colonies 1863 - 1907 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Ainslie Edinburgh and Leith - Showing Property and Land Owners - 1804 |
Shapefiles | - | |
| Kirkwood Edinburgh and its environs... - Showing Property and Land Owners - 1817 |
Shapefiles | - | |
| Police Boundaries Edinburgh 1822 |
Shapefiles | - | KML |
| Police Boundaries Edinburgh 1848 |
Shapefiles | - | KML |
| Sanitary Districts Edinburgh 1864 - 1884 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1852 - 1853 |
Shapefiles | - | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1865 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1882 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1885 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1890 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1896 - 1897 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1900 - 1901 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Municipal Ward Boundaries Edinburgh 1902 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1865 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1882 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1885 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1890 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1896 - 1897 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1900 - 1901 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles | |
| Registration Districts Edinburgh 1902 |
Shapefiles | Shapefiles |
Licence and terms of use
These georeferenced maps are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can also read the full legal code of the licence.
The maps are provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can embed the maps in your own website, display your own markers or mapping data on top of it, use it for research purposes, or create derivative work from it.
The only condition is that you must display an attribution to the Visualising Urban Geographies project, together with a link to our website, whenever our maps are used. If you create derivative work, the documentation of your work must contain this attribution.