The Charles Close Society for the study of Ordnance Survey Maps
Founded
in 1980, the Charles Close Society's objective is to bring together all those
with any interest in the maps, plans, and related materials of
the UK Ordnance Survey (OS), the United Kingdom's national mapping
organisation, and to promote the exchange of information, and
encourage and co-ordinate research.
Although the role of serious study in the Society's activities is emphasised, do not be put off by this if your concern is of a more relaxed nature - the curiosity of the casual collector is most welcome for it often prompts the unanswerable question for someone to work on. This was in a letter sent out in 1980 to those who had expressed an interest in forming the society. It continues to be a guide today.
The portrayal of public rights of way on Ordnance Survey maps
is currently the subject of investigation by Yolande Hodson who
is writing the early history of the Definitive Map of Public Rights
of Way (up to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; the period
may be expanded in due course).
The Ordnance Survey has produced a quite formidable number of maps and plans during its 200 years of existence and the society has produced articles and publications documenting most of the one inch to a mile maps: Old Series, the New Series, 3rd Edition, the "Popular" maps with Ellis Martin covers, and the later 5th, 6th and 7th series.
The Society arranges several meetings and visits a year, providing a varied programme over a geographically wide selection of venues throughout Great Britain including the Royal Air Force Museum and Imperial War Museum in London, Whatman Papermakers, Maidstone; the National Railway Museum, York and the Royal Commission for Historical Monuments (Scotland), Edinburgh.
With the OS's generous assistance we also organise tours of
parts of headquarters at Southampton which members have requested
to see. We have organised autumn weekend meetings in previous
years at the Shap Wells Hotel in the Lake District and in Harrogate.
The Society also publishes and sells a wide variety of publications which include books and pamphlets and also a small stock of rare OS maps printed in 1991 (available to members only), for their bicentenary year.
The Charles Close Society is believed to be only society whose object is the study of the publications and output from just a single organization - The Ordnance Survey.
Charles Close Society members are not only interested in maps
but also Ordnance Survey produced christmas cards, mouse mats,
books, or pamphlets - indeed almost anything that OS produced
relating in some way to maps.