2013

C0137 : Bench Mark, Dunfanaghy

taken 12 years ago, near to Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal, Ireland

Bench Mark, Dunfanaghy
Bench Mark, Dunfanaghy
Cut bench mark on the southern side of Market Square, Dunfanaghy, facing onto the Main Street (N56). The mark is old and is shown on maps from c1905 levelled to 19.2 feet above sea level. I have access to the current 1:5,000 OSI maps but it is not shown on those (nor are any other marks), despite Dunfanaghy being on a Primary Levelling Line between the Fundamental Bench Marks at Creeslough and Glenties. (Anyone with a working knowledge of OSI levelling, their use of bench marks etc. I'd love to hear from you).
Bench Mark

Bench marks LinkExternal link were historically used to record the height above sea level of a location as surveyed against the Mean Sea Level data (taken at Clarendon Dock, Belfast, for Northern Ireland data, Newlyn in Cornwall for data in Great Britain and Portmoor Pier, Malin Head, for data relating to the Republic of Ireland). They were used as part of a greater surveying network by the UK Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI) and the Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI). If the exact height of one bench mark is known then the exact height of the next can be found by measuring the difference in heights, through a process of spirit levelling. In this way hundreds of thousands of bench marks were sited all around the UK & Ireland from the mid 19th to late 20th centuries. There are several distinct types of bench mark:

- Fundamental bench marks have been constructed at selected sites where foundations can be set on stable strata such as bedrock. Each FBM consists of a buried chamber with a brass bolt set in the top of a granite pillar. See NG8825 : Dornie fundamental bench mark for an example. FBMs were used in Ireland as well as GB but those in Ireland do not have any surface markers, nor are they marked on standard maps.
- Flush brackets consist of metal plates about 90 mm wide and 175 mm long. Each bracket has a unique serial number. They are most commonly found on most Triangulation Pillars, some churches or on other important civic buildings. See J3270 : Flush Bracket, Belfast for an example.
- Cut bench marks are the commonest form of mark. They consist of a horizontal bar cut into a wall or brickwork and are found just about anywhere. A broad arrow is cut immediately below the centre of the horizontal bar. See J3372 : Bench Mark, Belfast for an example. The horizontal mark may be replaced by or contain a bolt - see J1486 : Bench Mark, Antrim.
Other marks include:
- Projecting bench marks such as SD8072 : Projecting Bracket Benchmark on St Oswald's Tower
- Bolt bench marks such as SJ1888 : OSBM bolt on Hilbre Island
- Rivet bench marks such as J3978 : Bench Mark, Holywood
- Pivot bench marks such as SJ2661 : Pivot bench mark on Leeswood Bridge

Bench marks are commonly found on older buildings or other semi-permanent features such as stone bridges or walls. Due to updated mapping techniques and technological advances such as GPS, bench marks are no longer maintained. Many are still in existence and the markers will probably remain until they are eventually destroyed by redevelopment or erosion.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rossographer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · N56 [7] ·
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C0137, 91 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rossographer   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 1 April, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Thursday, 11 April, 2013
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! C 018 373 [100m precision]
WGS84: 55:10.9905N 7:58.3311W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! C 018 373
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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