NEW 2023 Edition searchable Index complete with an 'ACTIVE GRID' that takes you direct to the map in the shop

Best viewed in Adobe Acrobat Reader

All Midland Ancestors Maps are now available for download

Birmingham c.1888 street maps - detailed to individual house level

Click here to download an index to the maps

Midland Ancestors was given about 400 very detailed street maps of Birmingham and its surroundings that were surveyed by The Ordnance Survey around 1887-1888. Each map covers an area of about 500 yards by 350 yards, and the scale of 1:500 is such that pillar boxes, lamp posts and garden details can be clearly seen.  When linked to addresses in censuses and in other records, you can begin to build a picture of the circumstances in which your ancestors lived.

Digitisation is completed and all of the physical maps have been sold. The maps cover mostly the Warwickshire parts of the city. We do not have many maps for the Worcestershire and Staffordshire parts of the city. The whole area can be described as bounded by Perry Barr to the North, Small Heath to the East, Moseley to the South and Bearwood to the West.

Often there are two images of each map, one copy in very good condition and another  ”working copy” ('A' suffix) that has been marked up by hand, occasionally showing house numbers – an invaluable asset for family historians with census records, or access to contemporary street directories.

Where we have a “clean” and a ”working copy” ('A' suffix) of a particular map image, you only need to order one map, as both will be provided at no extra cost.

Click here to download an index to the maps, (we suggest you right click on link on left and "save link as" to your computer and use Adobe reader to view) you can then find and order the map you want and once you have paid, the map will be available to download.

Be aware that long roads and streets could be covered by three, four or more maps. 

The maps, which take the form of Adobe Reader files (.PDF).