SABRE Maps/Fifth Edition coverage project

Fifth Edition cover

This SABRE Maps Coverage Project is to provide online coverage of the OS One Inch Fifth Edition and associated maps; such as Tourist or District sheets at the One Inch scale in Fifth Edition style; and the Two-Inch Scilly Isles maps. Because only maps covering the southern parts of England were published (with the exception of two Scottish Tourist sheets), it's not possible to offer coverage of the whole of Great Britain.

Generally speaking, Fifth Edition maps come in several types:

• Relief, showing hill shading
• Contour, showing hills by the use of contour lines
• Black
• Outline

Some map revisions were printed as one, two, or all types, and in these cases SABRE Maps uses one of the Relief or Contour versions, and never an Outline or Black version.

The eventual aim is to get a copy of every revision of every Fifth Edition sheet online, within the above caveats.

Which projection type are these maps?

See Also: SABRE Maps/Calibrating

The OS One Inch Fifth Edition uses the National Yard Grid and should be georeferenced accordingly.

How do I find out the date of each map?

Early Fifth Edition maps have revision codes that look like this, 9200/31 in this example, which dates the map to 1931

Later Fifth Edition revision code, 3035 in this example, dating the map to 1935

See Also: SABRE Maps/OS Copyright

Annoyingly, the OS didn't actually put the exact date of the map on each map. The date that appears on the map (usually with the words First published by the Director General at the Ordnance Survey Office) often is not the correct date of the map, but the date of the first revision of the map. Roads, along with other minor corrections were actually updated on every revision, so the map you have may be from a number of years away from the most obvious date. Fortunately, Fifth Edition maps have some of the most easily understood revision codes on them, so one look at them will tell you which map revision you have.

Revision codes on Fifth Edition sheets can be found in one of two places. In early Fifth Edition maps, they are located right at the bottom right of the map sheet, underneath the margin texts; whilst in most sheets, they are located immediately under the bottom left corner of the maps themselves, between the map and the key.

Revision codes appear in the heading within SABRE Maps, and so this information is extremely valuable to capture.

Progress by every sheet ever printed

This table only gives "Relief" and "Colour" editions, which are the most useful. There were also other versions of Fifth Edition mapping, such as "Black" and "Outline", which are not included here.

Circa 1934, during the general migration from "Relief" (with coloured heights) to "Colour" (with contour lines), there were often printings of both types in the year, and sometimes two of one type. These are almost identical in other respects and so the form "x/34" or "x34" is used for the various printings as only one is required for online mapping. The exact edition used requires capturing for the map annotation display.

Key

Available on SABRE Maps

Online, but needs replacement source

Unconfirmed Revision

Within the pipeline

Pipeline (Military edition)

Acquired but not scanned

Copy needed

In copyright (copy available)

In copyright (copy needed)

No map printed (or empty cell)

Sheet	Name	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1945	1947	1954	1959
93	The Cotswolds									6039
94	Oxford								6038
95	Luton / St. Albans					x35		40/38	80/38
96	Hertford and Saffron Walden					3335	4036		4038
102	Bristol and Newport								5038
106	NW London and Watford					3035	6035,6036	80/37		8039
107	London and Epping Forest					3035	6036		10038
108	Chelmsford and Southend						8036			5039
111	Bristol and Bath							60/37		6039
112	Swindon and Devizes								50/38		3040
113	Reading and Newbury			4700/33	x/34		40/36			60/39
114	SW London and Windor / London District				x/34		6036	10037	10038
115	SE London and Dartford				x/34	6035			10038
118	Barnstaple			4600/33	x/34		3036		5038
119	Exmoor				x/34	4035			4038
123	Winchester and Basingstoke			3500/33	x/34		3036
124	Guildford				x/34	3535		40/37	15/38
125	Reigate and Tunbridge Wells						6536	40/37	6038
127	Bideford and Bude			3200/33	2000/34		4036					3041
128	Tiverton			2600/33	x/34		4036
129	Taunton and Minehead							40/37
130	Shaftesbury and Wells							50/37
131	Salisbury and Winchester								5038	5039
132	Guildford and Petersfield									6039
136	Bodmin				x/34		4036		4038
137	Tavistock and Okehampton		5000/32		1000/34		4036
138	Exeter			5200/33	1000/34		4536			5039
139	Sidmouth and Lyme Regis							60/37			3040
140	Bournemouth and Weymouth							80/37		8039
141	Southampton, Portsmouth and IoW							8037	10038
142	Brighton and Chichester									6039
143	Truro and St Austell				x/34	5035		60/37		6039
144	Plymouth	9200/31			x/34		4536				4040
145	Torquay		5200/32		x/34		5036		6038	6039
146	Lands End and Lizard				x/34	5035		60/37		8039
-	Aldershot North		4000/32
-	Aldershot South		4000/32
-	Dartmoor						5036		4038
-	Exmoor Forest						5036		6038
-	New Forest								8038
-	The Cairngorms						5036
-	Oban						4036
-	Isles of Scilly (2 inch)			1000/33		1035		20/37					3045/Ch	3261	3261	3261

Key

Available on SABRE Maps

Online, but needs replacement source

Unconfirmed Revision

Within the pipeline

Pipeline (Military edition)

Acquired but not scanned

Copy needed

In copyright (copy available)

In copyright (copy needed)

No map printed (or empty cell)