Roads, hills, rivers, types of land cover and settlements were recorded. Starting in 1747, it took eight years to complete what was known as the Great Map at a scale of 1:36 000 (1.75 inches to a mile). It was an innovative young engineer called William Roy who was tasked with the initial small-scale military survey of Scotland. So the government ordered its defence ministry of the time – the Board of Ordnance – to begin a survey of England’s vulnerable southern coasts. Until then, maps had lacked the detail required for moving troops and planning campaigns. Later, as the French Revolution rumbled on the other side of the English Channel, there were real fears the bloodshed might sweep across to our shores. The name Ordnance Survey hints at how it all began.īritain’s mapping agency has its roots in military strategy: mapping the Scottish Highlands following rebellion in 1745.
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