A series of historic maps of Southampton have been made available world wide through the internet on Southampton City Council's interactive MapSouthampton website. The mapping project was launched by Vanessa Lawrence, Director General of Ordnance Survey, which is based in Southampton, and the city's Mayor, Councillor Edwina Cooke, at a reception in the city.
Southampton has a rich series of maps dating back centuries. One of the highlights is an 1846 street map of the city, carried out by Ordnance Survey shortly after it moved to Southampton. This is one of the first detailed street maps of any town in the world.
The maps can be accessed over the internet, and to provide a reference point, modern maps can be overlaid. Much of Southampton was built on reclaimed land in the 20th century and the maps show the area as sea. In other places it's clear where park and agricultural land was gradually taken over. However some historic features, such as the city's medieval walls and Bargate are constant throughout.
The launch of the project was held at a civic reception marking the start of an international mapping conference being held by Ordnance Survey in Southampton. 80 delegates from more than 31 countries are taking part and attended the launch in the world class Southampton Art Gallery.
"We have other maps, older and newer, which show in varying degrees of detail how the city has changed." Southampton's Mayor Councillor Edwina Cooke told the launch reception. "Now they're all available around the world, to anyone with an internet connection. I hope this will assist historians, people with family links with Southampton, students, and anyone else who previously would have had to make an appointment so see these valuable and unique documents."
The map collection is available on the internet at: map.southampton.gov.uk.
Issued By:
David Bennett, Public Relations Manager
Tel: 023 8083 3660
Fax: 023 8023 4537
Email: david.bennett@southampton.gov.uk
