What do you call an old map with a built in distance calculator?

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by SteveDee, Feb 3, 2019.

  1. SteveDee

    SteveDee Well-Known Member

    This afternoon we had a guided tour around "South Cottage" at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent.

    As South Cottage is still used during the summer by the Nicholson family, we were not allowed to take photos inside. But in the bathroom there was a framed map of the British Isles, which I'm hoping someone here might be able to give me more information on.

    What was unusual about this map (...and possibly unique) is that it had a metal & glass mileage clock built into it. According to our guide, this map was used to calculate "as-the-crow-flies" mileage from London to any other location in Britain.

    Originally there would have been a pointer attached to a string, which would be pulled out from a hole in the centre of London and touched upon a location at some other point on the map. Since the string was attached inside to the "miles" meter, this would have operated the dial and indicated the distance.

    Searching for information on the net has so far proved useless. Search terms like "map", "mileage", "miles", "clock" & so on produce thousands of hits, but nothing relevant.

    What I was hoping to discover is whether these 'calculator maps' were made in quantity, and if so, how common are/were they, and what are they called?

    Or could this have been a one-off commissioned piece?

    I'm sorry I couldn't have sneaked a photo. Initially I seemed to be the only one who took an interest. But when I asked about it, everyone in our group became interested.

    I would have liked to restore it to its former glory, by hooking up a new string & pointer. ...and moving it out of the Nicholson's bog!

    SissinghurstTowers.JPG
     
  2. m kenny

    m kenny Senior Member

    Burrow's Pointer Street Maps (1940s/50s) had a thin paper indicator measure (like a cloth tape measure) that was 'hinged' to rotate at one side and the street location was given as the intersection of the name/number of the measure and the number around the sides of the map

    Screbbgggenshot_1jj.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2019
    SteveDee likes this.

Share This Page