Scotlands History

Maps from the National Library of Scotland

The National library of Scotland's map collection is one of the ten largest in the world. Here are some old maps of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Wick that provide a fascinating insight in to how our towns looked over 150 years ago.

Detail of Ordnance Survey town plan of Wick, 1872

Wick

An ordnance survey map of Wick from 1872. Made to an unusually detailed scale, one inch on the map corresponds to 500 inches on the ground. Because of its large scale, features within some buildings are also visible.

Detail of Bartholomew's plan of Edinburgh, Leith and suburbs, 1891

Edinburgh

This map, with a scale of 15 inches to one mile published by Bartholomew in 1891. It shows considerable detail of industries and transport links that are no longer there, including tramlines and suburban railway lines.

Detail of Bartholomew's plan of Glasgow 1912

Glasgow

Glasgow is situated on the River Clyde, fourteen miles from the river mouth, in what was Lanarkshire at the time of the survey.