Jovial Colliers Inn , Ruardean Woodside, Old Maps Website (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, August 20, 2012, 00:46 (4474 days ago) @ shanson150

Hi,
I hope the East coast was good, it's been absolutely baking here today, give me a bracing sea breeze anyday, especially with a Whitby fishsupper perhaps !

I've just done what I really should have thought of earlier and consulted the excellent Old Maps website.
Use this link, http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html
then enter our postcode "GL17 9XJ" into the search box.
Wait and a modern map of the area will load, the search item (postcode) at centre.
On the righthand side a dropmenu will list the available maps for this area.
Click on the desired map image then the main map will be replaced by the old one, be patient as it can take a while to load.
In this case need to select a highly detailed one, I suggest the "1961 post WW2 1:2500" as we believe the pub was still open then, and the surrounding buildings might still be recognisable to searchers today.

I recommend you now select an overall screen zoom setting of abt 200%, such that the framed map image fills your pc screen yet remains readable. Furthermore, if you click the "spyglass" icon it will then zoom again but with no loss of clarity.
As long as you are able to persuade the site's search engine to load the right map for the area you're hoiping to study (postcode is best way !), and you allow time for images to load, this is a truly excellent & most usefull website.

At centre of this map it clearly labels "Jovial Colliers PH". Sadly no clear pointer but I think it's referring to the long building to right of the text, ie the one I suggested earlier. As per the post above it had a fair few rooms so not a small building. You can select different, older maps too of course, the "Jovial Colliers" is shown on all including the oldest(a First Series Ordnance Survey c1878). However on this map it's less clear to which building the text refers, the map carries several short lines that look like may be "pointers" but are not, I think, as some are not near any text/labels. If anyone knows what these lines denote I'd love to know, please.
Similarly, this map calls the pub a "BH", meaning what ??.
"Beer House" I guess, given that later OS Maps use "PH" for "Public House".

This map clearly shows the local quarry and mine shafts which ensured good trade for the pub then.