Nicholson Guides
Encyclopedia
The Nicholson Guides are a set of books now published jointly by Bartholomew
and the Ordnance Survey
as guides to the navigable waterways of England and Wales (and, more recently, Scotland).
The large-scale Guides are mainly intended for people traveling by boat along the river or canal. Generally, each page includes a map of a section of the waterway with features such as bridges, locks
, boatyards and services. Each section of the map includes references to nearby pubs, towns and villages, roads and railways.
The Guides were first produced, in the 1970s, by Robert Nicholson Publications and were published by British Waterways
. The first edition sold for 75 pence; but by the early 1980s the price had increased to £1.50.
The first edition came out as four Guides:
A fifth Guide, The Midlands, came out in the early 1980s.
The fifth edition in 1991 included 5 books:
The 1997/2000/2003/2007 editions were extended to 8 books:
There are also two small-scale fold-out maps, one covering Great Britain in its entirety, and one of Scottish waterways.
John Bartholomew and Son
Collins Bartholomew, formerly John Bartholomew and Son, is a long-established map publishing company originally based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is currently a subsidiary of HarperCollins.-History:...
and the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
as guides to the navigable waterways of England and Wales (and, more recently, Scotland).
The large-scale Guides are mainly intended for people traveling by boat along the river or canal. Generally, each page includes a map of a section of the waterway with features such as bridges, locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
, boatyards and services. Each section of the map includes references to nearby pubs, towns and villages, roads and railways.
The Guides were first produced, in the 1970s, by Robert Nicholson Publications and were published by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
. The first edition sold for 75 pence; but by the early 1980s the price had increased to £1.50.
The first edition came out as four Guides:
- 1 South East
- 2 North West
- 3 South West
- 4 North East
A fifth Guide, The Midlands, came out in the early 1980s.
The fifth edition in 1991 included 5 books:
- 1 South
- 2 Central
- 3 North
- River Thames
- Broads & Fens
The 1997/2000/2003/2007 editions were extended to 8 books:
- 1 Grand Union, Oxford & the South East
- 2 Severn, Avon & Birmingham
- 3 Birmingham & the Heart of England
- 4 Four Counties & the Welsh Canals
- 5 North West & the Pennines
- 6 Nottingham, York & the North East
- 7 River Thames & the Southern Waterways
- 8 Scotland, the Highland and Lowland Waterways (only in the 2003 edition)
There are also two small-scale fold-out maps, one covering Great Britain in its entirety, and one of Scottish waterways.
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- Waterways in the United KingdomWaterways in the United KingdomWaterways in the United Kingdom is a link page for any waterway, river, canal, firth or estuary in the United Kingdom.-Related topics:*Waterway, water power, navigable, navigable aqueduct, navigable river, navigable waters, navigability, Waterway society, List of waterway societies in the United...