Old Maps
Maps of British Towns
View old maps of places
throughout Great Britain as they were fifty years ago. See detailed information on the
cities, towns and villages
of England, Scotland and Wales as shown on the Bartholomew half inch map
series of the time.
Great changes have taken place in the
British landscape since the middle of the last century, in city and
townscape, in road and rail links, in the land used for houses and new
industries, changes reflected in our up to date UK maps. If you travel
through the British countryside today, you are likely to see
very different scenery from that shown on the old mid twentieth century maps. The beautiful
English, Scottish and Welsh natural landscape of wild mountain and moor
will be much the same, as will the picturesque hills and dales, the rivers and
lochs, the remote western islands, the rich farmland. The geography of
the long and varied British sea
coast will not have changed a great deal.
It is in the historic cities, towns and
villages of England, Scotland and Wales where the change of scenery will
be most marked; in the human landscape of houses, shops, roads, railways,
seaports, airports and industry; in the character of the great English,
Scottish and Welsh cities,
of the popular coastal holiday resorts and busy summer tourist centres,
the bustling market towns and the quiet, sleepy rural villages. Many of
Britain's towns and villages have seen great growth in recent times, in
new accommodation, homes for an increasingly affluent population,
improved transport and communications and new industries to replace the
old. Such history is reflected in the maps on this website, which show
British cities, towns and villages, and the surrounding countryside, as
they were half a century ago and the historical detail of city and town,
road and rail, are recorded on the old maps. Although many places of
scenic and historic interest, particularly those famous old towns,
cities and villages, full of interesting history and character, have
been conserved, the visitor planning a trip to England, Scotland or
Wales is likely to find a very different landscape from that shown on
the old maps. The maps on this website may provide useful information
for those interested in genealogy, family history or the recent history
of British towns.
Online Maps of Towns in England, Scotland and Wales
A full list of maps of the cities, towns and villages
covered in England, Scotland and Wales can be found in the
map index.
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