For people my age, “know your place” is synonymous with the British class system and was usually found in company with the idiom “your elders and betters“.
However, for Bristolians, Know Your Place is also a local success story, particularly as it’s somewhere one can learn about and share information about historic Bristol. It’s part of the local council website where visitors can:
- Explore historic maps of Bristol including 18th century tithe maps, late 19th & early 20th century Ordnance Survey maps, plus Ashmeads plans of central Bristol from 1828, 1855 and 1874;
- Access information from the Bristol Historic Environment Record (HER);
- View early 19th century images from the Braikenridge Collection;
- Upload your own historical information and images; and
- Comment on your area’s heritage.
Know Your Place was funded jointly by the City Council and English Heritage and was money well spent, only costing £25,000.
Since the site went live, more than 500 people have contributed their own historical information and images, but there’s still more that could be added given that the city’s history goes back to at least Saxon times.
There are now plans to expand the mapping to Bristol’s surrounding authorities, which go under the acronym CUBA – Councils that Used to Be in Avon.
You can access Know Your Place at http://maps.bristol.gov.uk/knowyourplace/?maptype=js
Finally, more good news: all layers except the base maps in Know Your Place can be re-used and the HER data is available as open data.