Newcastle Local Studies Library

The Local Studies Collection contains a large number of maps in a variety of styles, scales and formats.

Types of maps:-

1. Ordnance Surveys
2. Town & County Maps
3. Manuscript Maps
4. Goad Shopping Centre & Insurance Plans
5. Administrative Maps
6. Geological Surveys
7. Specialist Maps

The first complete national survey of Great Britain by Ordnance Survey was made in the l9th century. O.S. Maps are produced in a variety of scales ranging from 1:1250 to 1:1000000.

This library currently purchases O.S. Maps in the following scales:- 1:50000 (1 inch to 1 mile), 1:25000 (2.5 inches to 1 mile), 1:10000/1:10560 (6 inches to 1 mile) for Northumberland, Durham and Tyneside.

Maps at 1:1250 (50 inches to 1 mile) are purchased for Newcastle only.

O.S. Maps in the Local Studies Collection

• 1:250000 (1" to 4 miles)
  • Northumberland & Durham - Routemaster Sheets 4 & 5 (1980's)

• 1:63000 (1" to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland & Durham (lst ed) (1805-73 reprinted in 1970/71)
  • Northumberland (1863-67)
  • Northumberland (1864)
  • West Northumberland (1866-68)
  • Northumberland (2nd ed) (1897-98)
  • Northumberland & Durham (3rd ed) (1903-06)
  • Northumberland (Kelso & Cheviot sheets only) (1925-26)
  • Northumberland (contoured road maps) (1926-36)
  • Durham (1931-36)
  • Northumberland & Durham (New Popular Ed) (1947)
  • Northumberland & Durham (7th ed) (1950's & 60's)

• 1:50000 (1.25" to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland & Durham (lst series) (1970's)
  • Northumberland & Durham (Landranger Series) (1980's to date)

• 1:25000 (2.5 to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland & Durham (1948-76)
  • Northumberland & Durham (2nd Series) (1980's to date)
  • Northumberland & Durham (Pathfinder Series) (1980's to date)

• 1:10000 (6" to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland (1st ed) (1864-67)
  • Northumberland & Durham (2nd ed) (1894-97)
  • Northumberland (excluding Newcastle & Tyneside) (1921-26)
  • Durham (1921-24)
  • Northumberland, Durham, Tyneside (1950's to date)

• 1:2500 (25" to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland (lst ed) (1855-82)
  • Northumberland (2nd ed) (1896-1900)
  • Tyneside (2nd ed) (1897-98)
  • Northumberland (1916-24)
  • Newcastle & Gateshead (1919)
  • Northumberland (Revisions 1936-42) (1939-47)
  • Durham revisions (1939-40) (1942-47)
  • Newcastle (1951-55)
  • Northumberland & Durham (1959-77)

• 1:1250 (50" to 1 mile)
  • Tyneside (excluding Newcastle) (1949-60)
  • Tyneside (excluding Newcastle) (1964-83)
  • Newcastle (1960's to date)

• 1:500 (10.56ft to 1 mile)
  • Newcastle (1861-62)
  • Tyneside (1st & 2nd eds) (1895-96)
  • Tyneside (1907-08)

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These are commercially published maps both modern and historical. They cover the areas of Durham, Northumberland and Tyneside including the towns within these areas.

They are usually small scale (1") and some have been bound in a way which makes them difficult to photocopy.

The earliest maps in the collection are:-

• Mercator's Northumberland, 1595
• Saxon's Durham, 1576
• Bird's Eye View of Newcastell (from the Cotton manuscript), 1590

All town and county maps are listed in the Local Studies card catalogue. Classified from L912 to L912.7 inclusive.

Largely in the Seymour Bell Collection which consists of 25 portfolios of plans, inventories of properties, valuations, correspondence, surveys and auctioneers' notices relating to estates in Newcastle and Northumberland from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. The original collections, of which this is a part, were compiled by the Bell family of Newcastle and Gateshead, principally John Bell, Thomas Bell, Christopher Seymour Bell and Seymour Thomas Bell, during the course of their work as booksellers and land surveyors. Material collected by the family is scattered amongst the major libraries of the North-East, including the North of England Mining Institute Library, the University Library and Gateshead Public Library, as well as the Northumberland and Durham County Record Offices.

The portfolios held by Newcastle Central Library are numbered 1-25 and each contains numbered folders which hold individually numbered items relating to an area or subject. Altogether there are about 600 items in the collection.

Material is for reference only and is available on completion of a blue request form. The portfolios are numbered as follows:-

1. Bailiff Gate. Barras Bridge.
2. Benton (including Little and Long Benton).
3. Benwell Estate (Hall and Tower). Benwell and Fenham. Bigg Market. Brunton.
4. Byker 1-9
5. Byker 10-21.
6. Byker 22-29.
7. Castle Garth. Chares. Churches (other than those of ancient foundation). Close (with Bridge and Quay).
8. Collieries.
9. Coxlodge. Cragg Hall. Dean Street. Dent's Hole. Elswick Estate. Fenham.
10. Forth Banks. Gallowgate.
11. Gosforth
12. Groat Market. Heaton (High and Low). Howdon. Inns (Public Houses etc). Jesmond. Kenton.
13. Killingworth. Miscellaneous.
14. Newgate Street. North Shore. Northumberland Street. Ouseburn.
15. Pandon (or Panton). Percy Street
16. Pilgrim Street. Quayside. Railways.
17. Red Barns. Roads etc. St. Andrew's Church. St. Anne's Ropery. St. Anthony's.
18. St. John's. St Nicholas. St Peter's.
19. Sandgate. Sandhill. Sandyford. Saville Row. Scotswood. Seaton Burn. Shieldfield. Side.
20. The Spital. Spital Tongues. Stephenson, Robert & co. Strawberry Lane. Swirle.
21. Town Moor. River Tyne. Walker.
22. Wallsend.
23. Weetslade. Westgatel-2.
24. Westgate 3-20.
25. Westmorland House. Willington.

For further information see L929.2 B435L LOCKEY (Barbara Elizabeth) The Bell family: An account of a family of inveterate collectors from Newcastle 1979.

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These are detailed plans of the main shopping areas of local towns, indicating all businesses in the area at the time of publication. Each area is revised every one or two years. Plans are held from 1972 to 1992. From 1992 only plans for Newcastle have been purchased.

Goad Insurance Plans were fore-runners of the shopping plans. There are 2 volumes 1896 and l927-62 which cover Newcastle City Centre at a scale of 40ft to 1 inch. They each have an index by street name and volume 1 has an index, by name, of selected buildings.

Charles Goad and Company who publish these maps retain copyright. Goad plans must not be photocopied or traced.

These maps show the administrative boundaries for urban, rural and/or borough districts, civil parishes and parliamentary constituencies.

They are listed in the Local Studies card catalogue.

Geological maps have been produced since the mid l9th century. They show the structural features, type and age of rocks in the area.

They are available as drift (includes non-glacial, superficial deposits) and/or solid (shows rock formation without the superficial deposits).

This collection holds:-

• 1:63000 (1 inch to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland & Durham (2nd ed) (1881-95)
  • Northumberland (3rd ed) (1930 to date)

• 1:10000 (6 inches to 1 mile)
  • Northumberland & Durham (1959 to date)

These refer to specific subjects such as transport. They are classified with other material relevant to the subject and are accessible through the card catalogue in the Local Studies Department.

All O.S. maps are covered by Crown Copyright for 50 years from the end of the year in which they were made.

"Fair Dealing" [Exemption from the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988]

Up to 4 copies (A4 size) of ONE extract from any one O.S. map may be taken for the following purposes:

1. Private (i.e. individual) study or research.
2. Planning applications
3. Judicial proceedings.

Copies for any other purpose are not allowed.

Many of the other maps in the Local Studies Collection also have copyright restrictions. Please check with the staff before copying any maps.

JULY 1992

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