Historic survey feature questions

In relation to the information supplied with the request:

1. Did Ordnance Survey survey the area before omitting the highlighted feature from the 1913 and 1935 editions?

2) Did Ordnance Survey survey the area before making the changes?

3) If you look at the maps already supplied you will see on two of them that I have highlighted the buildings of x and x xxxxxx. On one map the outside toilets have been omitted but appear on previous editions and later editions, why?4) (i) I obtained a map from xxxxxx Borough Council which formed part of the planning application to them in 1954 by the then owners of Number x xxxxxx. This appears to contradict the Ordnance Survey 1952 edition although if one adds the feature highlighted in the 1895 edition it would be accurate. Maybe the owners of number x were unaware of what they owned? Or was it because the 1952 edition was inaccurate?

4) (ii) I also have a certified copy of the commons register which includes a map supplied by Ordnance Survey obtained from xxxxxx County Council which also appears to contradict the 1952 Ordnance Survey edition, in that the properties known as x, x and x xxxxxx do not appear to resemble the 1952 edition considering that the commons edition bears a later date, why?

5) Another document dated 1967 also uses a map other than the 1952 edition, if the 1952 edition was accurate why does there seem to be an aversion to using it especially in the case of the number x planning application?

6) (a) On the map supplied by Ordnance Survey (16.11.10) a feature is shown diagonally across the garage of number x connecting the northern and eastern boundaries. Did Ordnance Survey survey this area before adding the feature to Ordnance Survey maps?

Thank you for your letter dated 11^th December 2010.We are pleased to provide you with the following information with regard to your request (supplied with various maps and items of support), and respond to each of you questions in turn.  Not all of the information you have requested is held by Ordnance Survey, and this detailed where applicable.

Many of the questions you pose invite a conjectural or speculative response.  Ordnance Survey is only able to respond to your questions on the basis of fact, and not offer a speculative response in areas where the information is unknown or not held. 

One point of note here is that Ordnance Survey’s traditional method of surveying map detail from before 1895 to the present day involves the surveyor adding changes to a master copy of the relevant large scales map, by plotting or adding the change in manuscript to the master copy as the survey proceeds.  As a result, field notes and records of the detail of any survey cycle are rare and Ordnance Survey has none for any of the surveys of this part of xxxxxx.

1) Yes, a field survey would have been conducted for each revision.

2) Yes Ordnance Survey would have conducted a revision survey of the area.

3) We are unable to say why the outside toilets have been omitted on one version of mapping, but appear on later versions.  Ordnance Survey does not retain any historical survey notes.  The only records are the maps themselves, therefore we cannot comment further.

4) (i) The map obtained from xxxxxx Borough Council appears to be a poor quality reproduction of the 1935 Ordnance Survey County Series 1:2500 mapping.  However, this reproduction also appears to contain additional information not provided by Ordnance Survey, therefore we are unable to comment in detail on its content or to answer your conjectural question.

4) (ii) Ordnance Survey is unable to comment on the map you refer to without sight of a copy of the mapping in question.  We have been unable to associate any of the map extracts you have supplied, with this particular item.

5) The mapping provided to support your question five does not appear to be an original Ordnance Survey map.  However it bears some similarities and may be a copy drafted by a third party and based upon an earlier Ordnance Survey edition.  Without knowledge of the source or origin of the mapping we are unable to comment on the content.

6) (a) Yes, Ordnance Survey did survey this area before adding the feature.

Please note, as you correctly state in your letter of the 11^th December 2010, Ordnance Survey does not depict legal boundaries, nor do we attempt to define property ownership on our mapping.  We only show the existence of physical features on the ground at the time of survey which fall within the specification for the survey scale, and are surveyed in accordance with Ordnance Survey published accuracy tolerances. 

By examination of the various Ordnance Survey map extracts which you have provided it appears, by inspection, that the feature bounding the south eastern edge of the garden ground of number x abutting the ‘open’ land is the same feature on each successive 1:2500 Scale County Series edition from 1895 to 1935.  Some very small changes in shape and alignment on later editions in the sequence appear to result from successive re-drawings and reproductions only, with possibly some refinement of shape which may have arisen through the cutting back of the outer face (of what appears to have been a hedge feature) over time, slightly straightening the shape of the feature.

The 1952 survey was undertaken as a new original survey at the larger scale of 1:1250, during the post war revision and remapping of Great Britain.  This larger scale permitted more precise surveying and cartographic depiction of the alignments of the various features then extant on the ground, than is possible at the 1:2500 scale of the pre-WWII County Series sheets.

If you feel the mapping of your registered title is incorrect, we recommend that you contact Land Registry at the earliest stage to establish if they can assist.

Your enquiry has been processed according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. As all requested information has been provided or is not held, we have determined that in all the circumstances of this case the Public interest consideration (section 17 FOIA) is not applicable in this instance.

If you are unhappy with our response, you may raise an appeal to our Appeals Officer at:

FOI Appeals Officer
Customer Service Centre
Ordnance Survey
Adanac Drive
SOUTHAMPTON
SO16 0AS

Please include the reference number below. The Appeals Officer will ensure that the process has been followed correctly, questioning any decisions taken regarding the original response and recommending disclosure of additional information if appropriate.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Reference number: FOI10127/December 2010