All Along the Church Tower

Archive Assistant Robert Lee takes a look at one of the many small interactions that went into the creation and updating of the Ordnance Survey maps that we know and love.

I/Mb 6/1/1 - Ardleigh Church from the South.
I/Mb 6/1/1 – Ardleigh Church from the South.

Between 1791 and 1845, The Board of Ordnance had commissioned a mass triangulation survey of Great Britain; endeavouring to produce a “grand meridian line, thro’ the whole extent of the Island” (Roy). Such an endeavour would fine tune the latitudes and longitudes of the country, and allow for more accurate mapping. Approximately 300 obelisks, all ostensibly placed on some high point, like hills and mountains, were plonked around Britain, upon which triangulation would be undertaken. Not all of these points were natural, however.

I have uncovered a letter (D/P 263/6/26), sent on behalf of the Ordnance Survey Office, to a church in Ardleigh, Essex. The letter warns vehemently, yet with a hint of irony and sympathy, of the need to occupy the church’s roof once more for a re-triangulation survey in 1938. “[I]t will be necessary”, the correspondent expounds, “to carry out most of the observations by night from and to small electric projectors”.

There is something beautifully modernist about the vignette of several Ordnance Surveyors perched atop a church tower in a small county parish, operating a heavy laser projector between old stone pinnacles. No more apparent is the imminent crossover between old-time religion and contemporary science.

New Series Ordnance Survey map Sheet 29.5 1923 - Ardleigh Church sporting a triangular mark on it's tower signifying the "Trig-point" or "Triangulation point" at the top of it's tower. These triangular marks can be seen all over Ordnance Survey maps, but always somewhere high up.
New Series Ordnance Survey map Sheet 29.5 1923 – Ardleigh Church sporting a triangular mark on it’s tower signifying the “Trig-point” or “Triangulation point” at the top of it’s tower. These triangular marks can be seen all over Ordnance Survey maps, but always somewhere high up.

Playing to the Whistle: The Holden F5 Project

There are still tickets left for our forthcoming conference, Playing to the Whistle: the Railways of Essex and East Anglia, which is being held on Saturday 1st April. This will cover several aspects of the history of railways in our area along with a talk on how to make a steam engine in the 21st century. Graham Rowlands of the Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust, who will be speaking at our conference, shares some information about the project:

One of the last surviving F5's GER No. 789
One of the last surviving F5’s GER No. 789.

“The Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust was formed in 2003 with the objective of constructing a replica of the Great Eastern Railway’s M15R (latterly LNER/BR F5) Class of locomotives. With examples to be seen throughout East London and East Anglia, the last members of this type were withdrawn and scrapped by 1958. In their last years of service, they became synonymous with the Epping to Ongar branch where they operated push-pull services until November 1957. 

The Holden F5 under construction in 2022.
The Holden F5 under construction in 2022.

The Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust was a spin-off from a preservation group, who had the aim of preserving the Ongar branch in Essex, after the realisation that suitable locomotives from the Eastern region barely existed. Whilst not the grandest of locomotives, upon completion the engine will be well-suited to the needs of many heritage lines; with modern engineering practices and design work being coupled with original drawings, GER 789 will be more than capable of all but the heaviest loads.

To date, The Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust has had a number of components manufactured including: cylinder block, smokebox, chimney, machined wheels, plus much more besides. The main frames have been assembled at the Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham and support the finished coal bunker and smokebox. Major progress WILL be made in 2023.”

For details of the running order of the day, and how to book, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/playing-to-the-whistle-the-railways-of-essex-and-east-anglia-tickets-503455969357. Don’t forget, the ticket price includes lunch and tea/coffee.

We look forward to seeing you at what should be an extremely interesting day.