High resolution scanned images of Ordnance Survey maps from 1932 and 1933 in .tif file format, and corresponding .pdf format versions of these.These show parts of Salford, including the former docks, and the western side of Manchester city centre. A0 sized poster prints of these maps were used as part of the Undiscovered Salford display in the Community Science Showcase at Manchester Science Festival's GameLab event. The event took place on 20/21 October 2018 at the University of Salford's MediaCityUK campus.Original files kindly provided by the Salford Local History Library from their archives held at the Salford Art Gallery & Museum.OS Copyright expires 50 years from the date of publication, hence these maps are copyright free.

National Library of Scotland Historic Maps APIHistorical Maps of Great Britain for use in mashups and ArcGIS Onlinehttps://nls.tileserver.com/https://maps.nls.uk/projects/api/index.htmlThis seamless historic map can be:embedded in your own websiteused for research purposesused as a backdrop for your own markers or geographic dataused to create derivative work (such as OpenStreetMap) from it.The mapping is based on out-of-copyright Ordnance Survey maps, dating from the 1920s to the 1940s.The map can be directly opened in a web browser by opening the Internet address: https://nls.tileserver.com/The map is ready for natural zooming and panning with finger pinching and dragging.How to embed the historic map in your websiteThe easiest way of embedding the historical map in your website is to copy < paste this HTML code into your website page. Simple embedding (try: hello.html):You can automatically position the historic map to open at a particular place or postal address by appending the name as a "q" parameter - for example: ?q=edinburgh Embedding with a zoom to a place (try: placename.html):You can automatically position the historic map to open at particular latitude and longitude coordinates: ?lat=51.5&lng=0&zoom=11. There are many ways of obtaining geographic coordinates. Embedding with a zoom to coordinates (try: coordinates.html):The map can also automatically detect the geographic location of the visitor to display the place where you are right now, with ?q=auto Embedding with a zoom to coordinates (try: auto.html):How to use the map in a mashupThe historic map can be used as a background map for your own data. You can place markers on top of it, or implement any functionality you want. We have prepared a simple to use JavaScript API to access to map from the popular APIs like Google Maps API, Microsoft Bing SDK or open-source OpenLayers or KHTML. To use our map in your mashups based on these tools you should include our API in your webpage: ... ...

The dataset comprises maps and aerial photographs of the Falkland Islands. The maps are printers films and final paper printed originals of Falkland Islands OS maps, compiled for the Falkland Islands Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the Overseas Directorate of the Ordnance Survey. They were discarded by the Ordnance Survey around 2004, and offered to BGS for storage on behalf of the Falkland Islands Government. The Falkland Islands Government retains copyright interest in the maps. There are no access or usage constraints for BGS staff for BGS purposes. The aerial photographs and associated paper overlays represent copies of field slips of geological maps that were compiled by BGS under contract to the Falkland Islands Government. Copyright remains with the Falkland Islands Government , but there are no access or usage constraints for BGS staff for BGS purposes. Access to both datasets are restricted to BGS staff.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) holds copies of Ordnance Survey (OS) basemaps for the whole of Wales, in paper and digital format. NRW obtain much of it's OS data, initially, as part of the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) and from 2020 as part of the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), which is a collective agreement between OS and the government.

This map is a mosaic image comprising of over 50 individual 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 25" to the Mile (1:2500) County Series sheets. These map cover the extent of the AHRC Deep Mapping Estate Archives project boundary straddling the counties of both Flintshire and Denbighshire. These maps were surveyed between 1869-1874. Each map sheet was georeferenced as part of the AHRC's Deep Mapping Estate Archives project in January 2022 using ESRI ArcPro 2.9.1 utilising multi-point georeferencing (around 250-600) control points as well as the spline transformation. Each map has then been mosaiced together into a single images and has been imported into ArcGIS online as a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) file and is available for public use under the Non-Commercial Open Government Licence.

Ordnance Survey ® OpenMap - Local Buildings are polygon features that represent a built entity that includes a roof. This is a generalized building and could be made up of an amalgamation of other buildings and structures.Ordnance Survey ® OpenMap - Local Important Buildings are polygon features that represent buildings that fall within the extent of a functional site across England, Wales and Scotland. Important Buildings are classified into a number of building themes such as:Attraction and Leisure - A feature that provides non-sporting leisure activities for the public. Includes Tourist Attractions.Air Transport - This theme includes all sites associated with movement of passengers and goods by air, or where aircraft take off and land. Includes Airport, Helicopter Station, Heliport.Cultural Facility - A feature that is deemed to be of particular interest to society. Includes Museum, Library, Art Gallery.Education facility - This theme includes a very broad group of sites with a common high level primary function of providing education (either state funded or by fees). Includes: Primary Education, Secondary Education, Higher or University Education, Further Education, Non State Secondary Education, Non State Primary Education, Special Needs Education.Emergency Services - Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Includes: Fire Station, Police Station.Medical Facility - This theme includes sites which focus on the provision of secondary medical care services. Includes: Medical Care Accommodation, Hospital, Hospice.Religious Building - A place where members of a religious group congregate for worship. Includes: Places of Worship (churches etc.)Retail - A feature that sells to the general public finished goods. Includes: Post OfficeRoad Transport - This theme includes: Bus Stations, Coach Stations, Road user services.Sports and Leisure Facility - A feature where many different sports can be played. Includes: Sports and Leisure CentreWater Transport - This theme includes sites involved in the transfer of passengers and or goods onto vessels for transport across water. Includes: Port consisting of Docks and Nautical Berthing, Vehicular Ferry Terminal, Passenger Ferry Terminal.With OS OpenMap - Local Buildings and Important Buildings you can:Understand your area in detail, including the location of key sites such as schools and hospitals.Share high-quality maps of development proposals to help interested parties to understand their extent and impact.Analyse data in relation to important public buildings, roads, railways, lines and more.Use in conjunction with other layers such as Functional Sites – an area or extent which represents a certain type of function or activity.Present accurate information consistently with other available open data products.The currency of the data is 04/2025

This dataset contains a sample of 10,000 (3.5%) out of a total of 285,846 text sequences extracted from the 1891–1896 Map of London by the Ordnance Survey (OS).

The methodology used for the automated recognition, linking, and sequencing of the text is detailed in the article Recognizing and Sequencing Multi-word Texts in Maps Using an Attentive Pointer by M. Zou et al., 2025.

Description of the content

The map is drawn at a scale of five-feet to the mile (c.a. 1:1,056). The text on the map is an invaluable source of information about the Greater London in the late Victorian period. It includes the names of streets, squares, parks, watercourses and even some estates ('Poplars', 'The Grange', 'Arbutus Lodge'). In addition, the map contains many details of the function of buildings and economic activity, such as factories ('Sweet Factory', 'Crown Linoleum Works', 'Imperial Flour Mills', 'Lion Brewery'), warehouses or commercial infrastructure ('Warehouse', 'Jamaica Wharf', 'Rag Store'), offices ('Offices'), etc. The map also mentions public buildings such as schools ('School Boys, Girls & Infants', 'Sunday School'), hospitals or clinics ('St. Saviour's Union Infirmary', 'Beulah Spa Hydropathic Establishment', 'South Western Fever Hospital'), railway stations ('Clapham Station'), post offices, banks, police stations, etc. Other social venues are also mentioned, such as public houses, i.e. pubs ('P.H.'), clubs, casinos, and recreational areas (e.g. 'Cricket Ground'). Special attention is given to churches, with a regular count of the number of seats (e.g. 'Baptist Chapel Seats for 600').

In addition, the map provides details that can be of great interest in the study of everyday life in London at the end of the 19th century. For example, there are numerous mentions of 'Stables', 'Drinking Fountain'[s] (or simply 'Fn.') or 'Urinal'[s]. Fire protection infrastructure is highlighted, e.g. fire plugs ('F.P.') and fire alarms ('F.A.'). The map also includes information on elevation (e.g. '11·6') and flood levels (e.g. 'High Water Mark of Ordinary Tides').

A list of abbreviations used in the Ordnance Survey maps, created by Richard Oliver [1], is made available by the National Library of Scotland (link).

Organization of the data

The data in 10k_text_london_OS_1890s.geojson is organized as a regular geojson file.

Example structure

{
"type": "FeatureCollection",
"features": [
{
"type": "Feature",
"geometry": {
"type": "MultiPolygon",
"coordinates": [[[ [x1, y1], [x2, y2], ...]]]
},
"properties": {
"label": "Oxford Circus",
}
},

... # Further text sequences


]
}

Image documents

The original map document consists of 729 separate sheets, digitized, georeferenced, and served as geographic tiles by the National Library of Scotland [2].

Descriptive statistics

Total Number of text sequences: 285,846
Sample size: 10,000
Total Area covered: 450 square km

Use and Citation

For any mention of this dataset, please cite :

@misc{text_london_OS_1890s,
author = {Zou, Mengjie and Petitpierre, R{\'{e}}mi and di Lenardo, Isabella},
title = {{London 1890s Ordnance Survey Text Layer}},
year = {2025},
publisher = {Zenodo},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14982946}}

@article{recognizing_sequencing_2025,
author = {Zou, Mengjie and Dai, Tianhao and Petitpierre, R{\'{e}}mi and Vaienti, Beatrice and di Lenardo, Isabella},
title = {{Recognizing and Sequencing Multi-word Texts in Maps Using an Attentive Pointer}},
year = {2025}}

Corresponding author

Rémi PETITPIERRE - remi.petitpierre@epfl.ch - ORCID - Github - Scholar - ResearchGate

License

This project is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 License.

Liability

We do not assume any liability for the use of this dataset.

References

1. Oliver R. (2013). Ordnance Survey maps: A concise guide for historians. The Charles Close Society. London, UK. 3rd Ed. 320 pages
2. Ordnance Survey, London, five feet to the mile, 1893-1896 (1896), https://maps.nls.uk/os/townplans-england/london-1056-1890s.html, digitized by the National Library of Scotland (NLS)

This dataset is about book subjects. It has 5 rows and is filtered where the books is Ordnance survey maps : a concise guide for historians. It features 10 columns including number of authors, number of books, earliest publication date, and latest publication date.

This is a map of Worcester in a series of maps of England and Wales, shown at a 1:63,360 or one inch to one statute mile scale. This road map was created by the Great Britain Ordnance Survey.

This dataset is wholly owned by Ordnance Survey (OS) and licenced for use by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) via an open data licence issued by OS. OS open data products (OS OpenData) are a set of free digital maps of Great Britain, available for anyone to use, for any purpose. The maps include data on roads, rivers and boundaries. This dataset includes layers derived from those available from OS.

Historical Map Data is owned and supplied by Landmark Information Group and Ordnance Survey (OS) and supplied to Natural Resource Wales (NRW) via an OS licence. Landmark Information Group Limited holds the most extensive digital collection of historical Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain. This has been taken from Ordnance Survey’s archive of Town Plans, County Series and National Grid mapping covering the period from 1841 to 1996. Historical mapping provides a unique insight into our past and is a fascinating journey through history in itself. Particularly when displayed with contemporary mapping or aerial photography. Historical Map Data is available for different time periods, referred to as epochs. Epoch 1: the first County Series survey; published dates 1843 to 1893 Epoch 2: the first County Series revision; published dates 1891 to 1912 Epoch 3: the second County Series revision; published dates 1904 to 1939 Epoch 4: the third County Series revision; published dates 1919 to 1939

This dataset comprises 2 collections of maps. The facsmile collection contains all the marginalia information from the original map as well as the map itself, while the georectified collection contains just the map with an associated index for locating them. Each collection comprises approximately 101 000 monochrome images at 6-inch (1:10560) scale. Each image is supplied in .tiff format with appropriate ArcView and MapInfo world files, and shows the topography for all areas of England, Wales and Scotland as either quarter or, in some cases, full sheets. The images will cover the approximate epochs 1880's, 1900's, 1910's, 1920's and 1930's, but note that coverage is not countrywide for each epoch. The data was purchased by BGS from Sitescope, who obtained it from three sources - Royal Geographical Society, Trinity College Dublin and the Ordnance Survey. The data is for internal use by BGS staff on projects, and is available via a customised application created for the network GDI enabling users to search for and load the maps of their choice. The dataset will have many uses across all the geoscientific disciplines across which BGS operates, and should be viewed as a valuable addition to the BGS archive. There has been a considerable amount of work done during 2005, 2006 and 2007 to improve the accuracy of the OS Historic Map Collection. All maps should now be located to +- 50m or better. This is the best that can be achieved cost effectively. There are a number of reasons why the maps are inaccurate. Firstly, the original maps are paper and many are over 100 years old. They have not been stored in perfect condition. The paper has become distorted to varying degrees over time. The maps were therefore not accurate before scanning. Secondly, different generations of maps will have used different surveying methods and different spatial referencing systems. The same geographical object will not necessarily be in the same spatial location on subsequent editions. Thirdly, we are discussing maps, not plans. There will be cartographic generalisations which will affect the spatial representation and location of geographic objects. Finally, the georectification was not done in BGS but by the company from whom we purchased the maps. The company no longer exists. We do not know the methodology used for georectification.

The most detailed open data mapping product available, providing a backdrop for integrating and visualising analytical datasets. The product provides an enhanced level of detail for buildings - including the specific identification of functional sites such as hospitals and schools, and an extensive set of cartographic names optimised for digital styling and presentation.

Topographic map of the Falkland Islands in scale 1:50,000

The most detailed street-level open data vector mapping product available, OS Open Map – Local is a great backdrop over which to display and analyse your data.

This is a map of Anglesey in a series of maps of England and Wales, shown at a 1:63,360 or one inch to one statute mile scale. This road map was created by the Great Britain Ordnance Survey.

The Ordnance Survey Books of Reference (sometimes called 'Area Books', or 'Parish Area Books') were published between 1855-1882 to accompany the Ordnance Survey's 25 inch to the mile maps. They record acreages of each land parcel shown on these maps and usually its land use (for example, categorising this as 'arable', 'houses', 'gardens', 'woodland'). Collectively, they form the earliest, most complete estimate of land-use for the inhabited parts of Scotland in the 19th century. They also are the most complete estimate of the sizes of individual land parcels or fields across Scotland in the 19th century. Many of the Books of Reference record the names of the principal settlements and farms within each parish in a gazetteer at the end of each Book, and for each place, give references to the relevant Ordnance Survey 25 inch map these places fall on.

These maps are based on the Ordnance Survey 'Old Series' One-Inch maps of England and Wales. They were the first 1:63 360 geological map series produced by the Geological Survey in England and Wales. Sheets were initially published as full sheets, and later as quarter sheets (NW, NE, SW, SE). Earlier maps are hand-coloured, later maps are colour-printed. The maps show both solid and drift geology. The OS 'Old Series' maps extended as far north as a line drawn between Preston and the Humber. To the north of this, the maps use the same sheetlines as the 1:63 360 New Series, and carry two sheet numbers, which refer to the Old Series (91-110) and New Series (1-73) numbering. These maps are common to both series. A sheet that covers the Isle of Man is also included in the series. Geological maps represent a geologist's compiled interpretation of the geology of an area. A geologist will consider the data available at the time, including measurements and observations collected during field campaigns, as well as their knowledge of geological processes and the geological context to create a model of the geology of an area. This model is then fitted to a topographic basemap and drawn up at the appropriate scale, with generalization if necessary, to create a geological map, which is a representation of the geological model. Explanatory notes and vertical and horizontal cross sections may be published with the map. Geological maps may be created to show various aspects of the geology, or themes. These maps are hard-copy paper records stored in the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) and are delivered as digital scans through the BGS website.

Free Ordnance Survey maps for UK schools, including: 1:50,000 1:25,000 Mastermap

As one of our range of backdrop mapping products, Ordnance Survey's 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster is backdrop map data of our popular OS Explorer Map series for outdoor activities.

It provides a scanned image of OS Explorer Map that can be used with other data in a geographical information system (GIS) to visualise your own information within a geographical context.