OLD ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS: THE GODFREY EDITION

January Newsletter

Welcome to our January Newsletter. And what a month it has been, hasn't it! I imagine most of you have been struggling with the weather for the last four weeks, and you won't have much sympathy for our problems! In fact we have managed to open the office each day, although we have been closing early. The post has been sent out daily (though on one occasion parcels did have to be held back 24 hours) by taking the post to the Post Office or Sorting Office, and meeting the Citylink driver on the main road. Consett always gets rough weather so to some extent we can cope but the actual road to Prospect Business Park has been very difficult; I don't think Donna's BMW has managed it since Christmas, but Liz and I have managed to get through most days with our more modest cars. Today for what we think is the first time, part of the road - or the part with a school on - was gritted for the first time, although the section through to the office is still interesting.

But in other ways, the New Year has been good and, as some of you will know, I was awarded an MBE for 'Services to Heritage' in the New Year's Honours. My thanks for the nice emails and comments. My especial thanks, of course, to those who - without my knowledge - thought fit to gather round and put my name forward. Doubtless at some time within the next 6 months I will be able to post a photo of myself looking smug with my medal!

Meanwhile, the map series goes on. A trip to Germany had to be cancelled because of the weather (it has been bad there too) but luckily I researched two maps on my last trip, including one for Sterkrade and Osterfeld. At Osterfeld I was able to visit the museum for the St Antoni-hütte, (left) the birthplace of the industrial Ruhr. With the next map, Mülheim, we have reached the halfway stage in this series.

Otherwise I have made no research trips for the last 4 weeks. But of our regular authors I know that Gilbert Bell is working on some more Glasgow notes, Malcom Nixon is writing up Lichfield, Kay Parrott is working on a couple of maps for the Haydock/Earlstown area (which should just about link up Wigan with St Helens), Barrie Trinder has promised himself a trip down to Margate, Mike Bone has three Bristol maps on the go (and has just delivered the text for Redland), Derrick Pratt - who demands some writing to keep himself sane over Christmas - is looking at Aberdare and has already written some Chepstow and Prestatyn notes, Tony Painter is working on several in the Somerset/Dorset area including Castle Cary, Pamela Taylor is polishing the notes for Wimbledon, a longstanding gap in the London series where we have finally found a map to work from, and there are others.

I myself have used the opportunity to write up the notes for two new Irish Inch to the Mile maps, for the Ballymena/Glenarm area and for Carrickmacross, Dundalk & South Armagh (see left); Maura Pringle (author of the recent Skegoneill notes and cartographer at Queen's) was able to accompany me on the research trip to Carrickmacross etc, - she always casts an editorial eye across my writings there!

A new printed catalogue is due from the printer on Monday and we will send copies out to those on the general mailing list. There is, of course, far more information about the maps here on the website but we know that many of you find a printed list useful too, so if you want one, just ask.

Finally, as a postscript, a photo of the sort of legend, on a house in Glenarm, which so delights most local historians!