30 September 2010

Michael Palin launched Britain from the Air

A huge walk-on Ordnance Survey map of Britain accompanied by more than 100 stunning aerial photographs that showcase Britain’s wonderful natural and human landscapes was officially launched this week (28 September) by Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in the historic centre of Bath on Tuesday, September 28.

Free to view and accessible 24 hours a day, this extraordinary outdoor exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to see Britain as they have never seen it before and to walk the length and breadth of the country over a 16 x 8 metre map, exploring the precise location of each large-scale image.

Created by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) jointly with street gallery pioneers WeCommunic8, and supported by the Ordnance Survey, Britain from the Air combines inspiration, education and exploration.

Capturing Britain’s beauty as seen from its skies, it reveals mountain valleys carved by glaciers, saw-toothed coastlines edged by glistening waters, abandoned villages and transport networks, telling their story with text, historical images and maps.   

Michael Palin says: "Our landscapes in Britain tell the stories of our heritage, brings alive the beauty of our environment, and challenges us all to understand the changes taking place in our towns and cities.  All too often, chasing far-away places, we forget just what beauty we have on our doorstep and just how varied Britain is, even today.

"This exhibition is designed to celebrate this diversity and shows us, very powerfully, just what we're missing down here on the ground.  The stories of these landscapes are revealed – so visitors can truly explore and discover something new," he said

Vanessa Lawrence, Director General & Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, says: “For many years maps have been used to reveal the beautiful and varied landscape of Great Britain and this exhibition highlights the location of 100 stunning natural and human geographic features.

“Ordnance Survey is delighted to support Britain from the Air and the large walk-on Ordnance Survey map will give visitors a new perspective, understanding and desire to explore some of the beautiful locations that we have in Great Britain.”

The RGS-IBG's Director, Dr Rita Gardner, hopes the free exhibition will encourage the enjoyment and exploration of Britain's great outdoors.  "A unique value in the exhibition lies in its ability to help everyone to appreciate Britain, and understand more about how people have, used and interacted with its landscapes for millennia," she says.  "As people take in this view of Britain as they've never seen it before, we hope it will inspire them to get out and about around the country, and see for themselves the wonders of this island."

The exhibition is sited in Bath city centre (through Kingston Parade, the Abbey Precinct, Abbey Church Yard and Union Street), with the map located on Kingston Parade. It runs in Bath until the end of February 2011 and there are plans to take it to more cities in the UK.

 

Notes to editors: 

1. Ordnance Survey is Great Britain’s national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and individuals.

2. To download this news release visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media. There you can also subscribe to our RSS feed. 

3. Ordnance Survey and the OS Symbol are registered trademarks and OS OpenData is a trademark of Ordnance Survey. AGI is a registered trademark of Association for Geographic Information.

 

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