[OSM-talk] Map Co-ordinates for towns, etc in UK

mick bareman at tpg.com.au
Fri Feb 24 01:14:38 GMT 2012


I hope this isn't off-topic, if so I apologise.

Can some one advise me of the official policy for locating the centre of towns in the UK, i.e. the spot on the map for a point representing the town and used as the Zero Point for measuring distances to other towns.

In Australia this was taken as the centre of the road and the middle of the plot of land occupied by Post Office and marked by a triangular concrete mile post painted white with black characters about 1 metre high with a bevelled top. the vertical faces visibly from the road indicated the distance to the next town in the direction of travel. The upper face on the '0' post showed the distance to the state capital.

I was told this by a NSW Dept of Main Roads Clerk of Works about 1973. 

When the roads went metric in 1976 these posts rapidly disappeared, replaced by "International Standard" metal posts with green shields marking the 5 KM intervals but with no 'Zero Post'. A few towns kept their Zero Posts and moved them to a park.

mick



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