Map Group OS 1870s COUNTY SERIES
The County Series maps for Hampshire at 6 inch to 1 mile and 25 inch to 1 mile were published by the Ordnance Survey from 1870s.
1 to 10560
6 inches to 1 milesheet size 36x24 ins, representing 6 miles x 4 miles.
sheet number on pattern:-
[county] [number]eg:-
Hants 24the number are generally in roman numerals, but arabic numerals are used in these notes. Amendments in the series produced some sheet numbers like '46A'.
1 to 10560
6 inches to 1 milesheets size 18x12 ins, repesenting 3 miles x 2 miles.
sheet number on pattern:-
[county] [number][quarter]eg:-
Hants 24SW
1 to 2500
25 inches to 1 milesheet size about 37.5x25 inches. representing 1.5 mile x 1 mile; note that 1 square inch is about 1 acre of ground.
sheet number on pattern:-
[county] [number].[number]eg:-
Hants 24.7The first number is the 6 inch full sheet number; the second number is a serial number of sixteen cells numbered from top left to bottom right.
The Isle of Wight is not included.
MAP FEATURES
towpaths
The canal is drawn by a double line, broad enough to have form lines. The scale of the mapping is sufficient for the width of the canal to be shown to fairly accurately. This is a broad canal, and two broad boats need 14+14 feet plus if they are to pass. 30 feet at the map's scale is about a 1mm, which is about the width of the canal on the maps.
The towpath side of the canal is engraved with a bolder line, outside which is a line for the other side of the towpath. The towpath may be either side of the canal, and will change sides at a 'roving' bridge. Trees and other features are shown along the canal banks; but these are [mostly] symbols not trees plotted one by one.
cuttings
embankments
Cuttings through which canal runs are shown by hachuring running down to the canal.
Embankments are also shown by hachures, running away from the canal.
winding points
Winding points on the canal are apparent from the width of the canal drawn on the map, BUT beware of mistaking other wide features such as flashes. The winding points are not labelled as such; they tend to be small triangular areas; they are on the opposite side from the towpath
Winding points are dug wider to allow a boat to turn round. A full length canal boat is 70 feet long; this width and a bit is required to turn it (at 6ins to 1 mile this is only 2-3mm on the map). A boat cannot be turned in the ordinary reaches of the canal; the boatman must know where these turning places are, the canal builder must provide enough of them to match patterns of trade. Winding points can be dug later. ... Modern canal maps for pleasure craft users are usually quite clear about where winding points are located.
ponds
A flash by the canal is shown as an irregular wide area of water drawn with form lines and perhaps even islands. Where a wide part of canal is drawn more than is needed for a winding point it might be safer to assume it is a flash. It might be labelled, eg:-
Rushmoor FlashFlashes are marshy areas; you should not use one as a winding point, you may well end up stuck in the mud.
canal bridges
bridges
accomodation bridges
footbridges
swing bridges
Bridges are drawn as double line crossing, interrupting, the canal, generally matching a track one or both sides of the canal. The maps show the difference sizes of bridges. Some bridges are labelled with a name, some with a type, rarely with their material.
A canal is dug across an existing pattern of tracks, roads, etc. The canal builder cannot interrupt these rights of way, and has to build bridges. Canal bridges generally have a distinctive style on any one canal, though there are always exceptions.
Road bridges are provided for roads; footbridges for footpaths. An accomodation bridge, road, track, or path, generally connects farm fields to farms and might not be a right of way. The tow path usually continues under the bridge with the canal, which is why they are sometimes built asymetric. A roving bridge, where the towpath changes sides, is implied where the towpath does that. The layout of towpath and bridge can be made so that the tow horse does not have to be loosed from the boat; you cannot tell that from the map.
Swing bridges are sometimes used, road or path size; and some of these might be replaced later by lift bridges, or whatever.
Luke's BridgeWhere bridges get their names can be a mystery. Someone called Luke was involved in Luke's Bridge, perhaps a local farmer. Barley Mow Bridge is by a pub, the Old Barley Mow. And so on; there is local history interest in the bridge names.
Railways came later than canals; they had the job of building their bridge over the existing canal rights of way. Railways are drawn a double line with cross lines, where they cross canals they are on their own embankment.
Bridges on some canals are numbered; this does not seem to be the case on this canal, but I have not checked on the ground for any signs ...
aqueducts
culverts
An aqueduct is only apparent on the maps from a stream crossing under the canal. For a larger structure there might be an indication of the facing of the entrance by a bold line.
Where a canal crosses a stream the stream has to be bridged. This might be done with a small culvert, sometimes even an inverted syphon. Or it might be done with a more or less grand aqueduct. These structures are hardy visible from a canal boat; slightly more so from the towpath; you need to get off beside the canal to see them properly.
tunnels
Canal tunnels are shown on the map by the canal meeting the bold line of the portal, and being continued by double dotted lines, usually labelled:-
TunnelThe towpath does not go through the tunnel. The horse towing the canal boat has to cross the hill through which the tunnel drives. It should be possibly to trace the line of a path from one end of the tunnel to the other. Canal tunnels cost money to build, and are a hazard to navigation (good fun too).
lockkeeper's houses
canal locks
Canal locks are drawn in plan, a narrow length with gates at each end, > >. A long boat is 70 feet so the length is about 2-3mm on the map; the width will be for one broad boat, say 14 feet, 1/2 mm on the map. Locks are usually labelled.
Locks are needed by the canal to climb up or down hills. A navigable river is not a steeply flowing river; a canal is built without any flow. Both are level; ups and downs are managed by locks. This canal is level in Hampshire, until just near the border at Aldershot, where is Ash Lock. There is a 'lock' at Greywell which is a stop lock, a set of stop gates which are usually kept open, a safety and maintenance device.
Some canals numbered locks, but it is not usual to number stop locks. In the HANTSLOC database the numbers used by GEOprojects have been used.
A building is drawn in plan; canal buildings might be labelled on the map, eg:-
Lock CottageMost locks were worked by a canal employee, not by the boatman. There was usually a lockkeeper's house nearby. Many locks acquired their name from the name of the lockkeeper.
wharves
A canal wharf can only safely be assumed if it is labelled on the map it is not drawn in any special way.
There are often associated activities by the canal wharf which are mapped, and labelled, timber yard, coal storage, etc etc.
Milestones along this canal are drawn by a dot, labelled as:-
M.P. WEY 28Distances along the canal were measured from the River Wey which it joins near New Haw, Surrey. In the Hampshire section there are only two milestones plotted on the maps, miles 28 and 29. Distances are important for canal lengthsmen who had to know where they were, where their beat began and ended. Distance is also important to canal carriers, who paid tolls by the mile.
The canal is measured from the Wey, right to left on maps. The site records in HANTSLOC.mdf are separate records, but each refers to a mile section record. The mile sections were worked out VERY crudely and must not be relied upon. The references to site records in the miles section records which act as small menus, are arranged from left to right, west to east, which is towards the River Wey.
There are a lot of other 'Stones' along this canal particulary in the Aldershot area. These are probably boundary markers.
BskC01.tif
BskC02.tif & BskC03.tif & BskC04.tif & BskC05.tif & BskC06.tif & BskC07.tif
BskC08.tif & BskC09.tif & BskC10.tif & BskC11.tif & BskC12.tif & BskC13.tif & BskC14.tif & BskC15.tif
BskC16.tif & BskC17.tif & BskC18.tif
