Mapping Britain: The Story of an Island Through the Ordnance Survey Archives

The Ordnance Survey (OS) has been the home of British mapmaking since 1745, when a twenty-one-year old engineer was first tasked with producing a military survey of Scotland with little more than a handful of men, heavy measuring chains and hand-drawn sketches.

Since then, the maps of the OS have borne witness to nearly three centuries of phenomenal transformation. From the British Empire to the Industrial Revolution, the world at war through to this modern digital era, the maps of the OS are trusted and treasured by millions.

This illustrated talk combines Will Millard’s passion for history, geography and exploration to bring the remarkable Ordnance Survey archive to life. We will discover disappearing villages, secretive smuggling paths, top secret military plans and even the detailed maps of Buckingham Palace gifted to Queen Victoria on her fiftieth jubilee. Rich, rewarding and endlessly fascinating, this is an unmissable talk for anyone who has ever pored over a map in wonder.

Signed copies of Will Millard’s latest book: Mapping Britain: The Story of an Island Through the Ordnance Survey Archives (Orion: 2026) will be available to purchase at this event. 

About the speaker

Will Millard is a bestselling writer, explorer and award-winning broadcaster based in South Wales. He has authored or co-authored multiple bestsellers, including the international bestseller The Way of the Hermit with Ken ‘the Hermit of Treig’ Smith and two Sunday Times bestsellers. Will has presented seven BBC series and three standalone documentaries, winning the prestigious BAFTA Cymru Award for ‘Best Presenter’ for his hit BBC series Hunters of the South Seas and Realscreen awards for My Year With the Tribe.

He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Ambassador for World Fish Migration Day, Keep Wales Tidy, the Rivers Trust and the Angling Trust. He is also the very proud Patron of Mobile Education Partnerships, a charity which provides teacher trainers and learning resources to isolated and war-torn schools in Myanmar.