1945-1961: An interim measure

Once the decision had been made in 1943 not to produce sheets for Scotland in the 1-inch New Popular Edition, it was clear that the 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland sheets would have to be re-published.

The new ‘National Grid’ being printed on the 1-inch New Popular Edition was designed - as its name suggests - to form the basis of a national grid reference system. Therefore it was important that the new grid was included on any newly-published maps of Great Britain.

Each sheet of the 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland (Post-War) series was created by reprinting the existing sheet from the 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland, incorporating any necessary revision and adding the lines of the National Grid. The difference in projections between that used by the National Grid and that used by the 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland meant that the grid lines appeared at an angle to the edges of the sheet, and were in fact imperceptably curved.

Sheet 89 of the series was not republished post-War because its entirity was covered by 1-inch New Popular Edition sheets 75 and 76.

Figure 1 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland cover (c.1947)

Figure 2 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland cover (c.1953)

The sheets were issued in a cover very similar in design to that of the 1-inch New Popular Edition, but incorporating a Scottish lion emblem in place of the Royal coat of arms. (Figure 1)

After Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952, references to ‘G.R.’ were removed from the covers. (Figure 2)

Gradually the 1-inch Seventh Series replaced the Popular Edition of Scotland from November 1955 onwards. The Popular Edition of Scotland sheets were kept in print, with minor revisions, until their replacements were published. The 1-inch Popular Edition of Scotland was finally replaced with the publication of the last four sheets of the 1-inch Seventh Series (covering the Shetland Isles) in July 1961.

Page last updated: 14 April 2012