The Local Studies Department holds over 200 maps of Waterford City and surrounding areas, including City of Waterford as it was in the year 1673 (from Ryland) and Richards and Scale 1764. We also have a comprehensive collection of Ordnance Survey maps.
Historic Maps Online
The OSI Historic Map Viewer is available throughout Waterford City Council Library Service and can be viewed for free on the Public Internet PCs. This is a comprehensive online archive of Historical Maps from the period of 1837-1913, comprising of:
- 6 inch mapping series (1:10,560) colour 1837-1842
- 6 inch mapping series (1:10,560) greyscale 1837-1842
- 25 inch mapping series (1:2,500) greyscale 1887-1913
Based on the need for accurate land measurement for valuation purposes, the Irish Ordnance Survey completed the world’s first large-scale mapping of an entire country by 1842. It was a remarkable feat by remarkable men and the accuracy they attained is still marvelled at today. A resurvey of the entire country at 1:2500 was authorised in 1887, based on the same primary triangulations as the original 6 inch survey. This survey, which was completed in 1913, comprised over 18,000 maps. Taken together, these maps provide a unique, information rich heritage.