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A beautiful thing, reproduced poorly here, alas.

The map I am trying to present for your enjoyment is Just Gorgeous. I can't tell you how disappointed I am with these first results. In particular the colors are stunning. Subtle, but well matched.

The map was created by the Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. It shows the geology of Sussex. It was published in 1864, I am told. (I haven't found a date on it, but maybe I need to look harder!). More on the map below the images.



Geological map of Sussex


Geological map of Sussex

Continuing my discussion map above....

The upper image has had some help from Serif's PhotoPlus, a Photoshop alternative. The actual "map" is in two sheets. I "joined" them... there was a horizontal seam, half way down what you see.

The map is, for the two sheets together, about 100cm wide by 135cm. It was published, as I said, in two pieces, each consisting of 32 small panels pasted onto backing linen. I have done a somewhat crude job of hiding the "gutters" for you, to improve the visual impact of the map. I hope the fairly obvious artifacts of that tampering aren't too distracting.

London would be not far from the upper left hand corner of the map, and while the famous "White Cliffs of Dover" are slightly to the right of the area covered by the map, the same geology creates some stunning cliffs (more than 150m high... higher, in fact that the cliffs at Dover) near the headland at the bottom of the map, "Beachy Head", just west of Eastbourne.

(If you can't see all of the map at once, and wish to, use your web browswer NOT in "maximized" state, and drag it to fill your screen vertically, but not horizontally.)

The small sample of the glorious detail in the map is 11cm wide in the real world. Image that level of detail across the whole map... remembering that it portrays roads, buildings, topography, geology that actually existed, not just the imaginings of an artist...

Geological Maps in general

Forgive me, Gentle Reader, if you are already aware of it, but if you have not yet read Simon Winchester's "Map That Changed the World", I cannot recommend it to the curious mind too highly. The amazing, and inspriing, story of William Smith, 1769 - 1839. It is a story of science, but also one of society. And, if you are ever in London, be sure to visit The Map... just west of Picadilly Circus, at the The Geological Society of London , in the portico to the Royal Academy of Arts, in Burlington House. The door doesn't look much like it is "for the public", but don't be shy. Enter. Explain your quest to the nice reception person. You won't be the first, and if they mind, they hide it well.





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