Maps...is there a wrong way up?

[Timbo]

Some will know I have a fascination for cartography. Mapping played a huge part in my professional life as an archaeologist. Yet maps of the Broads have always been both a fascination and conundrum. The Broads were such an influence on my formative years, life afloat and Dad (Uncle Albert) & my Mum pouring over a map of the Broads...family 'discussions' over where we should voyage to went something like this.

 

"Gordon, we need to find a shop today!"
"Well the time & tide..."
"We need a shop Gordon!"

"Well if we catch the tide at..."
"Look Gordon we need a sodding shop!"

"Well you plan the route if you think you are so clever woman!" 

"Allright I will! So if we are here, lets' go up this blue line, then down the yellow one, and if we join the green one here...there's bound to be some shops!"

Dad slams down his tea mug and starts to leave the saloon of Captain XII

"Gordon? Where are you going?"

"To put the wheels on the boat!"

"What wheels?"

"The wheels we are going to need to go up those roads you plan on taking the boat up!" 

 

I say maps of the Broads provide me with a conundrum, because although I love the shape of the mapped features, they just don't sit right in my mind. I blame Strowager of course for setting me my current puzzle. He made a set of maps of the Broads that combined the OS information with the depth soundings of the rivers and Broads.These made me look again at mapping Broadland. They were fantastic maps BTW Strowager! My current puzzle is the origin of the island called the Heater at Barton Turf, the historical maps & modern maps give very little evidence to its origin!

 

I started work the other day on making a new title animation which featured a map of The Broads. Working to the confines of 1920 x 1080 screen space I was having difficulty fitting the map of The Broads onto the screen..that was until I turned the map around so that it was represented on the page as facing East to West, in the same manner as medieval maps, instead of the modern North to South orientation. Once I had done this then I felt very comfortable with the results. The map matched my internal navigation system. In other words the map now matched how I picture Broadland in my head.

 

Here's where I'm up to so far.

Not in any way accurate & contains only information I find of interest, with much space left over for little bits of animation...but I'm enjoying making this.

If anyone has any historical data on the 'Heater' I would be very interested.

[MauriceMynah]

Tim,

 

The orientation of maps is of significant importance except when at sea (where the whole map is just a sheet of blue paper)

 

There is some speculation that Horatio Nelson when sailing from Barton Broad to Hickling was unaware that his mate Hardy had turned the map from the “east-west” orientation to the new “north-south” one. The upshot of this jolly jape was that instead of finding himself at the Pleasure Boat Inn, he ended up looking at thirty three froggy ships of the line, all spoiling for a fight. More fool them as history proved.

 

There were several knock-on effects from this “lads out having fun” episode not least of all was Nelson ending up a little bit dead, followed by a substantial obstacle to traffic at Trafalgar Square.

 

It may also be noted that the area where this disgraceful display of bullyboy attitude from the French, was renamed “Trafalgar” in honour of Nelsons glorious victory, and even his wonderful ship was renamed in honour.

 

So Tim, as you see, messing with maps can be a tricky pastime. Imagine if you can the difficulties if we reverted to the east-west orientation. The sun would then be rising and setting north/south. This would melt the icecaps allowing at least half a dozen world experts to say “We told you so!”

 

You have been warned.

[Mowjo]

Timbo! you must be related to my Wife she's always digging up the past! I never use maps on the broads I know where I want to go, the thing that does fascinate me though is some of the place names on the old maps, something you don't see now, I had one for the Broads years ago that had four maps, it was a pain to use but the info on there couldn't be beaten, it had all sorts of weird place names like Old Maws Hollow, and Duck Egg Dyke, I made them up but you get the idea,,,

 

Frank,,

[grendel]

Timbo, the beauty of maps is that all those blank spaces can be filled with odd little pictures, such as here there be dragons, or mermaids, or anything else you desire from your map, at work I have to be a little obsessive with the maps I use and ensure they are set with north straight up (not even 1 degree off alignment) but then as I am generally doing a legal plan for a cable easement, if the land registry cant overlay it over their plans and get a good degree of correlation, then it get rejected. otherwise like you I prefer a map at a pleasing overall appearance, not top heavy in one direction or another. (and the more dragons and mermaids the better)

Grendel

[Guest]

..... My current puzzle is the origin of the island called the Heater at Barton Turf, the historical maps & modern maps give very little evidence to its origin!....

 

I've tried searching the web before for the origin of "The Heater"  just there Timbo, but I only found guesses.

 

Maybe John at Wayford might know.

[Samuel]

All very fascinating, but there is also an interesting historical and cultural question here. Why is North always at the top of the map as it is displayed?

[MauriceMynah]

Cos if it was at the bottom, all the towns would fall off.

[ranworthbreeze]

We still have the old Nicolson's waterway guides, yes they were in black & white but the pages and maps were printed horizontal.

 

The latest guides go down the page which makes it an issue if you have not got your mind on the job in hand., remembering which way to flick the pages especially if you need to go onto the next guide.

 

Will Smith got the controls right the second time in Independence Day by fixing the sign upside down.

 

 

Regards Alan

[VetChugger]

The maps that came with the old "Hamiltons Guide" were full of interesting detail and remain mostly relevant today. Not easy to find these guides now though. Shame Bill never got around to taking the updating on.

[Guest]

The maps that came with the old "Hamiltons Guide" were full of interesting detail and remain mostly relevant today. Not easy to find these guides now though. Shame Bill never got around to taking the updating on.

 

Theye were indeed full of detail, almost every yard of bank was described.

 

I'm not so sure about them being relevant today though.

 

The partially complete EA 20 year flood protection plan has changed the riverbanks far more than during Claude's lifetime, rendering his painstaking work very obsolete now.

 

I beleive that was one of the key reasons that Bill had to abandon the project, and possibly why the NSBA backed out of negotiations to take it over too.

[Timbo]

All very fascinating, but there is also an interesting historical and cultural question here. Why is North always at the top of the map as it is displayed?

I put it all down to Ptolemy who around the 2nd century AD put together a system of longitude and latitude taking into account the curvature of the earth. On all Ptolemy's maps North is at the top of the map. Politics and culture, as you rightly say, play a big part in the orientation of the map. The Chinese and Arabs all had South at the top of the map. The Europeans put East at the top of the map as this was the location of Jerusalem. The north south orientation, as much as the South North, was a result of the use of the compass and the adoption of Ptolemy's maps. 

 

Mermaids Grendel? Mermaids? Next you will be telling me some berk at Yare House has decided to call the Broads a National Park! Now Grendel did supply me with some blank maps that I have lost trace of on my hard drive..but once I get RT back on the move my intention is start mapping for myself the banks etc as we float by.

 

MM my dear Sir...as I have now twisted the map to a more pleasing orientation I will be needing your help in verifying a few facts. By aligning the map with East at the top of the map this will mean that Potter Heigham will now be at the top of the map. Thus water will drain away from the top of the map allowing better access through that damned bridge! Of course this will also mean that the bridges at Yarmouth will also have more clearance, although Wroxham bridge will still require a pilot.  I envisage travel times between Thurne Mouth and Wroxham will shorten due to the increased flow of water from the sea into the Broads system. To avoid any issues with flooding I have decided to tilt my map ever so slightly so that the Thames area is slightly lower than the rest of the map...the area around Westminster can be used for catching drips.

 

On the Fladen Map Strowager there is the kind of outline of the Heater, however it shows it to the North East adjoining the very mouth of the Ant (or the River Smale as it was in those days) where it empties into Barton Broad.

[grendel]

what shape is the isand, bear in mind that for medieval knights a heater was a type of small shield, maybe the island has that shape?

and why not mermaids and dragons Tim?

Grendel

[ExUserGone]

The map was never the wrong way up Timbo, your MONITOR is the wrong way up.......

[Timbo]

The map was never the wrong way up Timbo, your MONITOR is the wrong way up.......

Aha! I have corrected this problem by using cling film masticked to the screen to prevent water seepage!

[ChrisB]

I was once told that a "Heater" or what that name is derived from was a triangular piece of land. This was usually of such a size as to be useless. A bit like phytles are or were the useless parts of fields.

[ChrisB]

I have just been told that it is a commonly used term for those triangles you get at country road intersections in the Southern States of America.

[ChrisB]

The shape of a "Flat Iron" perhaps??

[ChrisB]

I was told by Mike the Skipper of Ra when it was based at Barton all sorts of facts ref. Barton.

Firstly the river did not go through the Broad until the late 1700s when the cut was dug to what is now Barton Staithe

That the wreck at the entrance to Woodsend Dyke was a Thames Barge and also that it had been established the one at Woodsend Staithe itself was originally an armament lighter as used by Woolwich and on the River Lea by it's type of copper rivets.

[Guest]

For anyone interested, this is part of the wreck at Woods End Staithe

[Timbo]

Here's some mapping information on Barton Broad & The Heater. First of all here's the modern OS map.

Next the 1988 aerial survey

Slipping back in time to the 1946 aerial survey

 

Back still further to the 1827 Bryant County map

 

 

And then back again to the 1797 Faden Map.

 

From the maps I think the Heater was formed post 1827. The Boundary along the eastern edge of Barton Broad shows the original path of the river...which gets interesting further downstream.

[grendel]

must have been easy to get under the bridges in 1946 looking at that water level.

Grendel

[Timbo]

must have been easy to get under the bridges in 1946 looking at that water level.

Grendel

I find the 1946 photo survey fascinating...the difference in water level and the navigable areas!

 

Came across another map this time the 1840 Tithe Maps. I love Tithe Maps as they hold quite a considerable amount of information such as land ownership and use. This is the top end of Barton Broad.

 

[grendel]

I wonder if the water levels were allowed to drop to prevent flying boats landing on the broad. or maybe it was just a very dry summer?

Grendel

[teadaemon]

Is the difference in navigable area in 1946 down to water level, or might it be due to 6 or 7 years of little or no navigation, and consequently no maintenance of the waterway (such as dredging or reedcutting)? I would suspect mostly the latter.