A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story

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Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history.

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

Lesley Manville

Jon Morrice

William Naylor

Timeshift: Series 15: Episode 2: A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story

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Episode 2

Episode 2: A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story

Series 15

BBC Four - Timeshift, Series 15, A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story

The agency that has captured the contours and geography of our nation and of our lives.

A look at how, for over 200 years, Ordnance Survey has mapped every square mile of the British Isles, capturing not just the contours and geography of the nation, but of our lives.

For over 200 years, Ordnance Survey has mapped every square mile of the British Isles, capturing not just the contours and geography of our nation, but of our lives. Originally intended for military use, OS maps were used during wartime to help locate enemy positions. In peacetime, they helped people discover and explore the countryside.   

Today, the large fold-out paper maps, used by generations of ramblers, scouts and weekend adventurers, represent just a small part of the OS output. As Ordnance Survey adjusts to the digital age, Timeshift looks back to tell the story of a quintessentially British institution.

Timeshift: Series 15

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Episode 2: A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story

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