For the first time historical maps of South Gloucestershire are now freely available online thanks to the Know Your Place West of England project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Know Your Place is a free digital mapping resource that enables you to explore your neighbourhood online through old maps, archive images and linked information. Know Your Place West of England is an ambitious extension of the Know Your Place Bristol website, which launched in 2011.
South Gloucestershire has now been added to the resource, more than quadrupling the area currently covered. Historic Environment Record data is available alongside the maps, providing a valuable research tool for everyone; from school children to family historians, planners to enthusiasts of community heritage.
You will also be able to upload and share your own information about the area, helping to build a rich and diverse community map of local heritage for everyone. From Severn Beach to Thornbury, Wickwar to Marshfield, Yate to Kingswood, and Warmley to Filton – you can now discover how South Gloucestershire has been transformed over time.
Over the coming months, the Know Your Place West of England project will extend to include the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset. The website will continue to grow as more resources, including enclosure and tithe maps, drawings and photographs from archive and museum collections are added.
To start exploring South Gloucestershire’s maps and heritage information visit the new The Know Your Place West of England website www.kypwest.org.uk. The website also features an accompanying blog where you can follow the project’s progress.
Communities Chair Cllr Heather Goddard said: “There will always be new things to discover and share on Know Your Place and anyone can help contribute to this fantastic resource. We invite everyone in South Gloucestershire to view the maps and share information about your own local heritage – whether it’s the well at the bottom of your garden, a family photo of your street during a Jubilee party, or an unusual feature of your favourite building in your hometown.”
Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Know Your Place West of England will be a fantastic resource, bringing together the history of this area so people can discover the ever-changing make-up of the places where they live and work. If you have bought a National Lottery ticket recently, you have helped to support these types of projects that are preserving the precious heritage of our communities for future generations. Thank you.”
The Know Your Place West of England project was awarded £379,800 be the Heritage lottery Fund, with generous match-funding and in-kind support from local authorities and heritage groups within the region, including £5,000 match-funding from lead partner South Gloucestershire Council.
For more information and to view the map visit www.kypwest.org.uk