I have today gained access to some great digital mapping – some of the best and most beautiful hand drafted cartography ever created. The below examples of early Ordnance Survey popular sheets have been professionally reproduced in digital form, and are a treasury of detail for those of us addicted to the work of those pioneering public surveyors and draftsman. Here we can see Brownhills and the surrounding area recorded over the course of four decades or so.
I believe this to be Third Edition, circa 1910. Surprisingly accurate. Look for the detail of the pits of the area. Click for a larger version.
This is most likely scanned from the Fifth Edition, around 1935-40. The evolution in style and technical precision in just 30 years is incredible. Click for a larger version.
I plan to feature more examples of these fascinating old maps in future posts, and will convert these to Google Earth overlays if readers would find that useful. In the meantime, peruse these at you leisure and feel free to comment on any interesting things you spot.