Abbreviations in Alphabetical Order also available as list of towns in large print
Abbreviations, arranged in grid reference order i.e. left to right, bottom to top
Maps and symbols - links to graphics files, black on white and white on black
Link to tactile map of Kent with braille labels
Link to test of map using Adobe 5 bookmarks
This page has a link to an outline map of Kent in PDF format. The map has labels in large print. Positions on the map are shown using the National Grid. Grid references are Easting (numbers along bottom of map) then Northing (up left of map), using 10 km squares. The left hand side of the map is in 100 km square TQ, the right hand side is in 100 km square TR. The map is based on the Ordnance Survey Route Planner map of 1946. North is at the top of all maps.
The purpose of this map is to show the position of towns, chosen to give a spread of towns across the county. The idea is that the position of other places can be given as a distance and direction from these key towns. The Kent county boundary and Kent sea coast are shown as a dotted line. Other county boundaries and coasts are shown as dashed lines. Roads are solid lines. Enough roads are shown to link the key towns.
The map and a key to symbols are provided in black on white, and also reversed white on black.
There is also an outline map showing Kent and surrounding counties.
Two letter abbreviations are towns. Each line has abbreviation then name then 10 km map square. TQ is 100 km grid square on left of map, TR is on right of map.
As Ashford TR 0040
Br Bromley TQ 4060
Ca Canterbury TR 1050
Cr Cranbrooke TQ 7030
Da Dartford TQ 5070
Do Dover TR 4030
ESS Essex TQ 6080 (position of label)
Fo Folkestone TR 2030
Lo London TQ 3070 for town dot, also area around that
Mg Margate TR 3070
Ms Maidstone TQ 7050
Ro Rochester TQ 7060
Se Sevenoaks TQ 5050
Sea English Channel TR 2020 (position of label)
Sh Sheerness TQ 9070
Si Sittingbourne TQ 8060
SRY Surrey TQ 3050 (position of label)
SSX Sussex TQ 8020 (position of label)
Thames Thames Estuary TR 0080 (position of label)
Tu Tunbridge Wells TQ 5030
Each line has 10 km grid square reference, then abbreviation, then name in full.
TQ 3050 SRY Surrey (position of label) - left centre area of map
TQ 3070 Lo London - position of town dot, also area around that at top left corner of map
TQ 4060 Br Bromley
TQ 5030 Tu Tunbridge Wells
TQ 5050 Se Sevenoaks
TQ 5070 Da Dartford
TQ 6080 ESS Essex (position of label) - top centre area of map
TQ 7030 Cr Cranbrooke
TQ 7050 Ms Maidstone
TQ 7060 Ro Rochester
TQ 8020 SSX Sussex (position of label) - bottom left area of map
TQ 8060 Si Sittingbourne
TQ 9070 Sh Sheerness
TR 0040 As Ashford
TR 0080 Thames - Thames Estuary (position of label) - top right area of map
TR 1050 Ca Canterbury
TR 2020 Sea - English Channel (position of label)
TR 2030 Fo Folkestone
TR 3040 Do Dover
TR 3070 Mg Margate
The structure of the map is explained in the introduction.
Kent is the Eastern part of Southern England. It is bounded on the North by the River Thames and the Thames Estuary; on the East by the English Channel, on the West by Surrey and Sussex. The North-West corner of Kent runs into London.
What follows describes what you will find on the map if you follow the dotted line which is the Kent coast and county boundary, and the solid lines which are roads.
Start at the top right corner of the map, out in the Thames Estuary, go down the right hand edge of the map. You come to the dotted line for the Kent coast; Margate is on the coast just to the West. Follow down the coast. You come to Dover then Folkestone, the nearest towns to France. Follow on down; just before the bottom of the map the coast turns sharp West, this is Dungeness (name not marked).
On West a short distance, then the dotted line turns to go North-West as the border between Kent and Sussex. After Tunbridge Wells the dotted line turns North, and is now the border with Surrey. Continue North, then the dotted line turns North-East and crosses three solid lines on the map which are roads. The area to the left here was historically in Kent, but became part of London. After crossing the three roads, the dotted line turns sharply East. The boundary is now the River Thames, and to the North of it is Essex.
Continue East; the Thames widens ino its estuary, the Northern bank which is the Essex coast goes North-east, but follow the dotted Kent coast to the East. The next section may be hard to follow; there is a big inlet South which is the Medway, then jutting out North again is the Isle of Sheppey with the town of Sheerness, then another inlet which goes back to the West, finally the coast turns sharp back to the East and continues slightly North of East to Margate - and back to the right hand edge of the map.
From London in the top left of the map there are three roads shown, going East to Dover, South-East to Folkestone, South to Tunbridge Wells.
From London follow the top road East, through Dartford, Rochester, Sittingbourne, Canterbury, forking South-East to Dover or North-East to Margate.
From London follow the middle road South-East to Maidstone and on to Ashford and Folkestone.
From London follow the lowest road, shown initially South then turning South-East to Bromley, then Sevenoaks, almost South to Tunbridge Wells. This is just within Kent, almost on the Sussex border. From here follow the road East to Cranbrook and Ashford.
From Rochester (on the London-Dover road) there is a road shown going South to Maidstone and Cranbrook.
From Sittingbourne (also on the London-Dover road) there is a road shown going North to Sheerness - which is on the Isle of Sheppey.
GENUKI England Gazetteers includes the GENUKI gazetteer, which gives the location of places as 6-figure grid references. If you search for one place, then search for another place, it gives the distance and direction from one to the other. You can use this to estimate where a small place is relative to one of the towns marked on the large print map. For example:
Search for Meopham. Grid reference is shown as TQ640650. This is 10 km square TQ6060.
Look at the large print map. TQ is the left hand side, go along the bottom to 60, go up to be level with 60 on the left hand edge. This is near Ro (Rochester) on the large print map.
Go back to the gazetteer with which you located Meopham, choose "New Search" and enter Rochester. The answer tells you that Rochester is 5 miles ENE of Meopham.
I have designed these maps based on what I have read about print for people with visual disabilities, but I have not found specific advice on design of diagrams. I would welcome any general advice on diagrams and maps, examples of maps that are suitable for as wide a range as possible of visual disabilities, and comments from people with visual disabilities. I expand on this request in an article "Design of large print maps".
The maps are in Portable Document Format (pdf) which can be displayed and printed using the free Acrobat Reader.
The map of Kent, and the key to symbols, are available either with black lines and letters on white background, or reversed. The map is also available with the National Grid 10 km squares indicated by vertical bars of colour shading; this is intended to help people who can only see small areas of the map at one time,
Map of Kent, with colour to show National Grid
Kent and surrounding counties - showing National Grid 100 km square TQ and identities of surrounding squares (black on white)
Page by David Hawgood, email David_Hawgood@Compuserve.com, 2 Nov 2002
This page is www.hawgood.co.uk/b/kent/ng.htm
Index page for large print maps