How have the maps been joined together?
The short answer is ‘with great difficulty.’ As well as problems of different scales and projections, each mapping series was produced using its own sheet sizes and shapes. Sometimes these were square, sometimes rectangular. We scanned all the maps, being careful to find ones in good condition with no folds or creases, and then cut them down to the frame edge. Theoretically, they could then be joined together to form a vast seamless sheet . Unfortunately, the edges rarely matched exactly. Particularly with the older maps, one sheet might have been produced using a different projection or point of origin from its neighbour. Some sheets had overlaps between them, which needed to be trimmed off. Furthermore, two adjoining sheets may have been surveyed by different people at different times, using different standards of accuracy, cartographic conventions and instructions as to what to include (no map can ever include everything). In a few cases, the surveyors made errors, with a road sudde
