One of the first things I organised when I took on my present short term contract was a proper mounted office map of West Yorkshire. You would think from the reaction that I had hung a Vermeer or van Gogh on the wall. People would gather around it in small groups, mumbling and pointing things out to each other. In this era of GPS, SatNav and Googlemaps, it became clear that some people had never actually seen a proper map of the area they live and work in.
The history of accurate mapping in Britain goes back to the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1745. The Government decided they needed more accurate information for the movement of troops and artillery, first in Scotland, then later, as the French Rebellion rumbled on over the other side of the channel, of the Southern Coastal counties. The Board of Ordnance (the Defence Ministry of the time) were tasked with making detailed maps, and from this, the Ordnance Survey was established. The first county map was published in 1801 (of Kent, vulnerable to French invasion over the Channel), and the whole country was mapped and published by 1870. The early maps sold for about £3, which was equivalent to around 10 days average wage (equivalent to about £1,000 today if my calculations are correct).
Nothing like being able to stick a pin in it, or highlighting, so that you can see what is going on - and not be dependent on battery life or wi-fi speed ;). Like the pov!
A great conversation piece. During our RAF days we always bought an Ordnance Survey Map of the area we were to live in and in fact I think we still have them somewhere in one of our cupboards. We both love maps. Google maps is great but there is nothing quite like holding a map in your hand.
Amazingly Peter I was in Triangle village yesterday just taking shots for a project I'm doing recording a year in the life around this part of Calderdale:) https://365project.org/pcoulson/365-5/2019-11-14
I'm not sure I could live without real maps! I've always collected local maps of the areas where my daughters have lived, and of many of the places we have visited. A super shot!
Ian