On Display
Magnetic compasses are portable and easy to use for rapid survey where high accuracy is not required. Particularly useful in mines, the compass could be hung on a hemp rope stretched along the mine gallery and the compass points used to call the dire
Surveyor's chain made by Baker in the mid 19th century. Ropes, chains, tapes and rods have all been used for measuring distances. In about 1620, English mathematician and astronomer Edmund Gunter (1581-1626) developed this type of metal chain for det
This telescopic prismatic compass was made by Charles Schmalcalder. Magnetic compasses are portable and easy to use for rapid survey where high accuracy is not required. Charles Schmalcalder took out a patent for a prismatic compass design in 1813. T
This roughly made groma was found during an excavation in the Fayum Province of Egypt in 1899. Early surveyors' instruments such as this were useful only on flat terrain and for setting a limited range of angles. With the groma, distant objects were
This phototheodolite was made by J Hicks. The Bridges Lee phototheodolite comprised a camera set on the horizontal plate of a theodolite, with a telescope and vertical arc set on top of the camera. Horizontal and vertical lines appeared on the negati
Levelling is the method used by surveyors to determine the relative heights of different points on the earth's surface, but originally referred to the simple procedure of determining the horizontal. The spirit level was invented in the 1660s, the hor
Sextants like this one ( 120mm high) signed by Ramsden were used by army personnel and road builders for making military maps and surveying land for roads and railways. Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800) was one of the top ten specialist instrument makers i
A waywiser is pushed along and records the number of turns and number of miles.
One method of measuring distance is to count the number of paces it takes to walk or run from one place to another. This 18th century gilt, brass and silver pedometer made by Johann Willibrand was worn at the waist and a string tied round the leg mov
This instrument, devised in 1954 and made by Hilger and Watts, is extremely compact in comparison with earlier designs and, at 9 pounds in weight, considerably lighter. The telescope is sufficiently short to allow it to swivel completely over from ba
Made by J. Parkes and Son. Inscribed on punched leather 'J.PARKES & SON/ [Royal Coat of Arms] /REGISTERED/FEBY 14TH 1846/SOLID - LEATHER/50 Ft.'
Magnetic compasses are portable and easy to use for rapid surveying where high accuracy is not required. Particularly useful in mines, the compass could be hung on hemp rope stretched along the mine gallery and the compass points used to call the dir
Circumferentors (with a full circle scale) and graphometers (with a half circle scale) were widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries for angle measurement. A joint on the support allowed for both vertical and horizontal use. This graphometer has a
Circumferentors (with a full circle scale) and graphometers (with a half circle scale) such as this example made by Philippe Danfrie, were widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries for angle measurement. A joint on the support allowed for both verti
GPS, or the global positioning system, revolutionised surveying from the 1960s.
