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Old Maps Website

MWS

MWS

from Bham
Not sure how many people use this excellent site but there's a message on the homepage saying that the website will be closing down on 31st Oct.

www.old-maps.co.uk

Changes to Old Maps website - Landmark Information Group

To avoid licensing confusion and better support professional users, Landmark has retired the Old Maps site. We're now focusing on enhanced historical mapping services for commercial use.
www.old-maps.co.uk www.old-maps.co.uk

A shame.
 
I think that must have gone up in the last couple of hours, as it was not there before.. It will be a great loss. there are other sources of the lower resolution maps. but not the higher resolution ones, in particular those post 1950 which usually show numbering.
 
That is such a pity although I always wondered how such a useful website was free. I'm grateful for the years of free use we have had and will look to purchase at least the 1889 & 1950 maps. I can't imagine contributing to BHF threads without this facility at hand.
 
Just looking to purchase these, they are sent as an A3 PDF, I wonder how the resolution will compare to the 'zoomable' ones on the website.
 
As I understand it the maps you get are the area in the view, so , if you want good resolution it will cost quite a lot to cover even just aston. . with the 1889 maps, think , as far as a large part of birmingham is concerned (it does not cover everything) the Midland ancestors site is better value
 
A bit of a rough estimate but if you wanted to screen shot all of Bham from the 1950 map at the greatest free resolution then it would be 40 x 90 = 3600 shots.

That's from - West/East - J1 of the M5 to A452/B4114 island Kingshurst and - North/South -Monmout Drive, Sutton to Whitlock's End (which is about level with Longbridge). So there would be quite a few shots that could be ignored.
 
The Charles Close society (which is for those interested in OS maps) states that it understands that the NLS will ,within the next year, be incorporating some of the maps previously on the Old maps site at better resolution. I assume this probably means the late 1800s 1:500 town maps, as they have already started to cover some towns in the south west. The society stated that if members were still concerned, then they would make representations. I contacted them to point out the usefulness of the 1950s/1960s large scale maps which incorporate house numbers, and also the 1930s maps which enable changes over the war to be observed. I suspect that I will not be the only one contacting them similarly, as several others have expressed concern, including one who said his interests would be completely ruined if he had to visit archives to view maps
 
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mikejee said:
The Charles Close society (which is for those interested in OS maps) states that it understands that the NLS will ,within the next year, incorporating some of the maps previously on the Old maps site at better resolution. I assume this probably means the lat 1800s 1:500 tonw maps, as they have already started to cover some towns in the south west. the society stated that if members were still concerned, then they would make representations. I contacted them to point out the usefulness of the 1950s/1960s large scale maps which incorporate house numbers, and also the 1930s maps which enable changes over the war to be observed. I suspect that I will not be the only one contacting them similarly, as several others have expressed concern, including one who said his interests would be completely ruined if he had to visit archives to view maps
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think its very bad timing as well mike...not everyone is physically able to travel distances to visit the archives and with covid still about some people are still worried about travelling....

lyn
 
I use that site sometimes but you can't (or at least, I haven't found how to) search by postcode and they don't do the really useful 1950s and later maps which show numbering. However, Mike suggests in post #7 that they are going to begin to incorprorate some maps from Oldmaps website.
 
pjmburns said:
I use that site sometimes but you can't (or at least, I haven't found how to) search by postcode and they don't do the really useful 1950s and later maps which show numbering. However, Mike suggests in post #7 that they are going to begin to incorprorate some maps from Oldmaps website.
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yes same her jan..ive been using that site for a few years now..i love it but as you say it does not show the numbering of houses which we rely on a lot for some research..

lyn
 
I have just received a reply to my concerns from the Charles Close Society, which would seem to mean that the NLS will, within a year or so, have placed on their site have placed on those maps lost with the demise of old maps. It is as follows:

Dear Mike
In addition to the 1:500 sheets, NLS is arranging for the scanning of BL holdings which will fill a high proportion of their County Series maps - I would expect the inter-War sheets to reach a very high level of completion. They have also scanned the post-War National Grid series but these are embargoed until a date some time in 2022.

So it sounds as though within a year or so, all your requirements will be met.
 
Hoorah.
My friend at Charles Close has just informed me that the NLS scanning of the 1880s 1/500 large scale maps is now complete, and is available on the site as individual sheets, though not yet combined together. It also seems that more is available than on old maps. If I remember correctly the plan at the east end of Lozells Road to the south was not available on old maps. However it is on the NLS site at https://maps.nls.uk/view/228801602.
 
Having looked at the NLS site and seeing the much better resolution (free) on the new maps and the fact one can download a pdf of the sheets, I suspect that the Oldmaps people knew this was coming , and realised that there was no way anyone would pay money to them for anything, so closed the site
 
I wish google street view went back to 1871, it does go back 12 years so we have to thank them for that. It's hard to picture an area now with garden full of mattresses and faded wheely bins to imagine the front gardens shiny and new and full of snapdragons and hollyhocks. I found a great uncle was living on green lane in 1939, together with family and a general maid. In 1939 it must have been very posh, but the place now looks so grubby.
 
When I worked for the council pre computer we used card backed 1: 1250 OS sheets, when we went computerised they were offered to the Library, who couldn't understand why they should have them, so they were all scrapped !!
 
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