This page describes a map of Kent intended to be clear for all users, and accessible to users with visual disabilities. If viewed on screen using the free Adobe Acrobat 5 viewer there are bookmarks which help in going to a magnified area of a map for a named town, or going to a particular 10 km square National Grid reference. The map is based on a 1946 Ordnance Survey road map. There is also a basic map which is less complex, without roads or grid lines, and with county names in full rather than abbreviated; it is intended for people with no prior knowledge or who prefer not to have several conflicting sets of lines visible together.
Download the free Acrobat Reader
The file has two pages, which are versions of the same map. The first is an outline map. It has county boundaries, major towns, and roads joining them. Numbers at the left and bottom are those of National Grid 10 km squares. The lettered National Grid 100 km squares are TQ for the left hand part of the map and TR for the right hand part. Abbreviations for neighbouring counties are links; later these will go to maps of the appropriate counties, at present they go to a temporary page.
The second map shows grid squares. It is intended for use when locating a numbered grid reference, and also to help when viewing a magnified section of the map. It has coloured tints and coloured dotted lines to delineate the 10 km grid squares. Where it does not interfere with other detail, each square has its 10 km grid square number. For example, Tunbridge Wells near the bottom left of the map is in square TQ53. There is no space for a number in that square, but the one above has its number 54, the ones to its left and right have their numbers 43 and 63. The numbers and coloured lines are intended to help if changing between a view of the whole map and a view of a magnified section.
In using grid references, not that "TR15" and "TR1050" and "TR100500" are all the same place, as two-figure (10km), four-figure (1km) and six-figure (100 metre) references.
Town names are given in full on this map. County names are three letter Chapman County Codes. North is at the top of the map.
Click the top tab at the left of the screen to see the set of bookmarks. There are three groups, "Towns", "Neighbours" and "Grid Squares". Note that clicking the + or - sign alongside these expands or contracts the group. The highlight in the column can be moved up and down with arrow keys, and the + or - keys expand or contract the highlighted bookmark. Pressing return or clicking on a bookmark moves to a preset view of the map.
The "Towns" group has names of fifteen towns. Choosing a town name changes to a magnified view of the area around that town, using the outline map.
The "Neighbours" group has names of four neigbouring counties, also areas of sea - English Channel and Thames Estuary. Choosing one moves to the area on the outline map with the name or abbreviation for that area.
The "Grid squares" group has nine grid square numbers. Choose the one nearest to one you want; the view changes to a magnified one around that grid square. It uses the map with grid squares marked.
The area in view will depend on other settings and choices you make, and the size of the window in use; for example, the width of the window showing the list of bookmarks can be changed, and there is an option (click on the word "bookmarks" at the top of the list) to hide the list when a bookmark is chosen.
Note that pressing Z, then Shift and Z changes the screen pointer between a plus sign (zoom in) and a minus sign (zoom out). Dragging the pointer diagonally between opposite corners of a rectangle enlarges or reduces that rectangle. The Adobe Reader also has other ways of changing magnification, available from the view menu and toolbars. Some of the actions depend on the way Adobe reader has been set up and used on your computer.
Click the second tab at the left to see reduced images of the two versions of the map. The area currently on view is marked by a bold rectangle. A convenient way to see this is to click on the bookmark for a town, then click the thumbnails tab. If you click at a point within a thumbnail, the view changes to that point without changing magnification. Note that the "Thumbnail" menu at the top of the panel of thumbnail displays has options "small thumbnails" or "large thumbnails".
Design criteria for this map are on another page
Page by David Hawgood, 2 Jan 2003
For list of clear maps by David Hawgood see www.hawgood.co.uk/b/clear.htm