OS Map Symbols

Common OS Map Symbols

Buildings and Settlements

On Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, buildings are usually shown as small black squares or rectangles. Larger settlements like towns and cities are represented by clusters of these symbols, often shaded or coloured to indicate urban areas.

• Individual buildings: black squares or rectangles
• Churches: a small cross symbol
• Ruins: black squares with broken lines or dashed outlines
• Settlements: shaded areas or named places with different font sizes to show size and importance

Roads and Railways

Roads are shown in different colours and thicknesses depending on their type:

• Motorways: thick blue lines with a number (e.g. M1)
• A roads: red or green lines, depending on whether they are primary routes
• B roads: thinner orange or yellow lines
• Minor roads and tracks: thin black or dashed lines

Railways are shown as black lines with crossbars or parallel lines:

• Standard railways: black lines with short perpendicular ticks
• Light rail or tramways: thinner black lines or dashed lines

Water Features

Water features are usually shown in blue:

• Rivers and streams: thin blue lines, wider for larger rivers
• Lakes and reservoirs: blue shaded areas
• Canals: parallel blue lines with crossbars
• Springs and wells: blue dots or small symbols

Vegetation Types

Vegetation is shown using green colours and different symbols:

• Woodland or forest: green shading with tree symbols
• Orchards: green areas with small circles
• Heath or scrub: green areas with small crosses or dots
• Parkland: green with scattered tree symbols

Topographic Symbols

Contours and Spot Heights

Contours are brown lines joining points of equal height above sea level, showing the shape and steepness of the land. The closer the contours, the steeper the slope.

Spot heights are black numbers on the map indicating the exact height of a particular point, usually a hilltop or summit.

For example, a contour line marked 150 means all points on that line are 150 metres above sea level.

Landforms Representation

Landforms such as hills, valleys, ridges, and depressions are shown by the shape and arrangement of contour lines:

• Hill: concentric closed contour lines with increasing height towards the centre
• Valley: contour lines forming a 'V' or 'U' shape pointing uphill
• Ridge: contour lines forming a 'V' shape pointing downhill
• Depression: contour lines with hachures (short lines inside the contour)

Relief Features

Relief refers to the variation in height across the landscape. OS maps use contours and shading to show relief, helping to visualise hills, slopes, and flat areas.

Man-made Features

Transport Infrastructure

Besides roads and railways, other transport features include:

• Bridges: black lines crossing rivers or roads, sometimes with a small arch symbol
• Tunnels: dashed lines along roads or railways
• Airports: a small aeroplane symbol

Boundaries and Landmarks

Boundaries are shown by different types of lines:

• Parish or district boundaries: dashed or dotted lines
• County boundaries: thicker dashed lines
• National parks: green shaded areas with boundary lines

Landmarks like churches, schools, and windmills have specific symbols:

• Church with tower: a cross with a small square
• Windmill: a small windmill symbol
• School: a small black square with a flag

Recreational Facilities

Symbols for leisure include:

• Golf course: green area with golf flag symbol
• Camping site: tent symbol
• Caravan site: caravan symbol
• Sports centre: small black square with crossed bats or balls

Using OS Map Symbols Effectively

Map Key Interpretation

Every OS map includes a key (legend) explaining the symbols used. It is essential to check the key before interpreting the map to avoid confusion, as some symbols may vary slightly between map editions.

Symbol Recognition Practice

Practice recognising common symbols by comparing the map to the key. For example, identify all the churches or woodland areas in a given section.

Applying Symbols in Map Reading

Use symbols to help answer questions about location, land use, and features. For example, spotting a railway station symbol can help locate transport hubs, while contour lines and spot heights help understand terrain.

For instance, if you see a blue line with parallel black lines crossing it, this indicates a bridge over a river.

Example: On an OS map, you see a cluster of black squares with a cross symbol in the middle and a green shaded area nearby with small tree symbols. What does this show?

This indicates a settlement with a church (cross symbol) and nearby woodland (green shading with tree symbols).

Practice: What does a small black square with a flag symbol represent on an OS map?

Answer: It represents a school.

Diagram suggestion: Include a labelled diagram showing examples of common OS map symbols such as buildings, roads, water features, and vegetation for visual reference.