OS 50K Symbols - Land features
Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.
Contents
- Electricity transmission line
- Pipe line
- Buildings
- Bus or coach station
- Place of worship
- Chimney or tower
- Glass structure
- Heliport
- Triangulation pillar
- Mast
- Wind pump
- Wind generator
- Windmill with or without sails
- Cutting
- Embankment
- Quarry
- Spoil heap, refuse tip or dump
- Woods
- Orchard
- Park or ornamental ground
- Access land
- Forestry Commission access land
- Natural Resources Wales
- National Trust access land
- National Trust for Scotland
- Manx National Heritage
- Forestry Division Plantation (Isle of Man)
- Graticule intersection at 5' intervals
on Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps, with map extracts showing the symbols. On the maps a blue circle is on or near
the symbol. Use the mouse to move the pointer over the blue circle on a map to hide it.
Click on a thumbnail to see a page with a larger photo, other photo details, and a larger section of the
1:50,000 Ordnance Survey map.
The article Ordnance Survey Map Symbols
gives an introduction, and links to others in the set of articles.
Electricity transmission line
Pylons (V beside line) are shown at standard spacing on straight runs of pylons SP0615 : Pylons
Where the line changes direction, the V symbols change sides.TA1612 : Pylons Near Roxton Farm
Large pylons, e.g. to cross an estuary, are sometimes shown separately ST5689 : Severn estuary: the big pylon
Pipe line
SH6639 : Maentwrog Power Station Pipeline, Tyn-y-Coed
arrow on line shows flow
Buildings
Building SO9421 : Can you see the join? (light line around building; compare with town hall just north)Public building SO9421 : Centenary classrooms, Cheltenham College (heavier line around building; also see hospital just north)
Ruin NS2808 : Baltersan Castle (no colouring within square showing building)
Bus or coach station
Bus station SD5429 : Leaving Preston bus station
Coach station SJ3590 : Liverpool Coach Station, Norton Street
Place of worship
with tower TQ5045 : Chiddingstone Church, Christmas 2006
with spire, minaret or dome SP3509 : St Mary the Virgin Church, Church Green, Witney
without such addition SK4167 : St James the Apostle Church, Temple Normanton
Chimney or tower
Chimney NS1971 : Inverkip Power Station
Tower TQ5439 : Water Tower - Langton Green
Glass structure
TQ4761 : Coolings Nursery - Rushmore Hill
Heliport
ST2174 : Cardiff Heliport
Triangulation pillar
SK2773 : Triangulation Pillar north end of Birchen Edge
Mast
SK3362 : Mobile phone masts near Slack (note the symbol is a tall triangle with a wave at the top)NS8810 : Lowther Hill (this "mast" is a radar dome)
Wind pump
SP2847 : Windpump and Whitehead's Coppice (note the symbol has an x at the top)
Wind generator
NS2347 : Ardrossan Windfarm Symbol is being changed. Map extract is from 2008, symbol like that for a wind pump but bigger, and heavier line. At 2016 online maps are being changed to a new symbol shown below. To see it in place, click photo, click map, zoom out by pressing minus key.
New Symbol
Windmill with or without sails
SK3650 : Heage Windmill (this has sails)
TL4632 : Clavering Mill, Clavering, Essex (this has no sails)
Cutting
TQ5346 : Railway between Penshurst and Leigh Stations (symbol has lines along top of cutting)
Embankment
NN8465 : Fields and railway embankment (symbol has no lines along bottom of embankment)
Quarry
SD8620 : Britannia Quarry
Spoil heap, refuse tip or dump
SN6908 : Pwllfawatkin landfill
Woods
Coniferous wood SK3062 : Pine trees in Farley Moor WoodSH5550 : Cone-laden trees
Non-coniferous wood SU8790 : Beech Wood near Little Marlow
Mixed wood TL0193 : Bridleway through Park Colsters, north-east of Shire Hill Lodge
Orchard
TQ6841 : Apple Orchard
Park or ornamental ground
SK4778 : Footpath through the estate of Barlborough Hall
Access land
A purple line shows the boundary, a symbol within the area shows the owner and whether always open.
NT2810 : Purple Plague (shows boundary line)
The map below shows the boundary line symbol on a map from 2006 - it had a much more prominent purple line.
Forestry Commission access land
TF0876 : A ride in Newball Wood (purple symbol in wood is for Forestry Commission)Natural Resources Wales
SH7955 : The A470 heading south Symbol from about 2016Map on photo page is from 2006 before this symbol was in use. To see symbol on 50K map, click map on photo page gives current 25K map, click minus sign at bottom of bar on left of map extract to give current 50K map.
National Trust access land
Always open SK0655 : Grindon Moor White acorn on purple ground shows it is a National Trust property which is always open.
Limited access SP6837 : Palladian Bridge, Stowe Landscape Gardens Purple acorn in white square shows limited access.
National Trust for Scotland
Always open NN9162 : Pass of KilliecrankieLimited access NT0578 : House of the Binns See National Trust for Scotland - House of the Binns
for opening hours - the estate is always open, the house has limited hours.
Manx National Heritage
Manx National Heritage - Eiraght Ashoonagh VanninSC1565 : Calf of Man
Forestry Division Plantation (Isle of Man)
SC2373 : Earystane plantation, Isle of Man Symbol from 2016Click map on photo page - shows a pink area as we don't have access to 25K scale map for Isle of Man. Then click minus sign at bottom of bar on left - gives current 50K scale map. This plantation (and others on the Isle of Man) have the symbol but don't have the purple boundary line.
Graticule intersection at 5' intervals
NN7891 : 57° N 4° W at grid reference NN 7856 9165
(To show graticules at intervals -
go 6 squares West to grid ref NN 7350 9177
go 9 squares South to grid ref NN 7320 8250
Note this shows that grid north is not quite true north.
Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.