Maps: Maps

The QUB Map Library in the School of the Natural and Built Environment has the most extensive collection of print maps at QUB, including the 1st edition of the 6 inch Ordnance Survey of Ireland. Although many of the maps in the collection are Irish, the coverage is worldwide. 

The Map Library is located in room 01 007 in the Elmwood Building. Please note there are restricted opening hours for the Map Library. For enquiries or an appointment, email maplibrary@qub.ac.uk 

Digimap Ordnance Survey Collection

*Please note that Digimap does not include Northern Ireland maps*

Digimap Ordnance Survey Collection contains maps of mainland Great Britain at scales ranging from 1:1,250 up to 1:750,000. There are scanned raster maps which are digital versions of Ordnance Survey's paper maps as well as vector maps at a range of scales including OS MasterMap^®, the most detailed large scale mapping.

The service includes many other products from Ordnance Survey including postcodes, administrative boundaries, a gazetteer of place names and digital terrain models.

Standard tasks that Digimap allows you to perform are:

• selecting your area of interest in Great Britain by zooming and panning
• viewing maps at one of the pre-defined scales
• printing maps at A4 to A0 size, in either landscape or portrait
• annotating maps with symbols, lines, polygons and labels
• downloading a PDF., PNG, JPG print files for printing later
• Setting a user defined scale for printing

The Data Download feature allows those with more specialist requirements to download map data for use eg in GIS software.

You will need to register before you can access the Digimap Ordnance Survey collection; log in with your student number and QOL password at Digimap Ordnance Survey Collection and complete the online form provided.

If you have any problems accessing Digimap, please contact digimap@qub.ac.uk 

Historic Digimap 

*Please note that Digimap does not include Northern Ireland maps*

This resource allows you to view, annotate and print historic maps of mainland Great Britain.

Historic Digimap contains map data at scales ranging from 1:10,560 to 1:500 and dates ranging from 1843 to 1996; available for

You will need to register before you can access the Historic Digimap collection; log in with your student number and QOL password at Historic Digimap and complete the online form provided.

If you have any problems accessing Digimap, please email digimap@qub.ac.uk.

Special Collections in the McClay Library has 2 important historical map collections of Ireland:

Ewart Map Collection

• Contains approximately 150 original maps and facsimiles of printed and manuscript maps of Ireland, ca 1567-1900. About 50 of the maps are of Belfast or parts of Belfast, ca 1570-1900.

Hibernia Regnum - Facsimiles (known as the Down Survey of the Baronies of Ireland 1655-58)

• The Down Survey of Ireland is the first detailed land survey on a national scale anywhere in the world.

For more details on these collections, see the map section of the Special Collections website. 

The McClay Library holds a collection of Northern Ireland Area Plans, incl. associated maps. The Reference Area Plan collection (RAP) is shelved in the Reference section on Floor 3. Relevant shelfmarks include RAP/HT169 and RAP/HT395.

Many plans are also accessible online at Planning Portal (NI): www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy