Maps

Explore Old Maps of the Isle of Wight. We keep many old maps that show how the Island looked in the past.

Ordnance survey maps

These are detailed maps made by the government. We have maps from: 

• 1793 to 1973
• As the maps have been collected from a variety of sources, we do not hold every edition of every map of the Island
• lists of the map editions up to 1938 are available
• lists of map editions published after 1938 are currently under construction
  

You can view these maps in our searchroom. Some examples you can download:

• Ordnance Survey 1793 (Pub 1810) (PDF, 28.7KB, 1 page) – scale 6” to the mile
• Ordnance Survey 1862-1938 (PDF, 1.2MB, 10 pages) – scale 25” to the mile
• Ordnance Survey 1862-1938 (PDF, 273KB, 4 pages) – scale 6” to the mile 
• Ordnance Survey 1965 – scale 1-50.688
• Ordnance Survey 1971 – scale 1-2500
• Ordnance Survey 1971 – scale 1-1250
  

Tithe maps

These maps show land ownership and use from around 1836, when people paid tithes (a kind of tax).

We hold Tithe Maps and Apportionments, as well as a variety of correspondence relating to valuations for the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. Three copies of tithe maps were made when they were drawn, one held in the parish, one for the Diocesan office and one for the Inland Revenue.

The copies held at this office were either for the parish or Diocese, while the Inland Revenue copies are held at the National Archive in Kew. A small number of the maps may also have originally been commissioned for individual landowners of their own estates and not the whole parish.

You can download a series of images of the Freshwater Tithe Maps:

• Freshwater village (2.29MB)
• Norton (PDF, 2.46MB)
• Easton (PDF, 2.46MB)
• Weston (PDF, 2.22MB)
• Middleton (PDF, 2.35MB)

Access the tithe records catalogue (PDF, 131KB) held at this office.