Introduction

This page lists the various benchmarks, found in the Basingstoke area.

It was first published by Andrew Watten, on 2020-08-25.

What are Benchmarks

Benchmarks are a series of lines, carved into stone or brickwork, that enable a surveyor to measure elevation. Occasionally these are also metal plaques. A much better explanation can be found on Wikipedia. A brief summary of benchmarks can be found on the National Library of Scotland website.

Benchmark Examples

The picture below is a collage of some of the benchmarks we found, in Basingstoke, in 2020.

History of Benchmarks

Benchmarks first appeared in 1831 and the last one was created in 1993. In those 162 years, over 500,000 were created. Benchmarks are no longer used, as elevation is now measured by GPS. This Ordnance Survey page details the history.

Our Search for Benchmarks

During the lockdown period, from March 2020, our family would go for short local walks. Over time, we started getting bored of the same routes and needed to find a way to make the familiar routes more interesting. We decided to start hunting for benchmarks as they were a piece of history, but an often-neglected piece.

I had known about benchmarks since doing a bit of surveying at university, but thought they were only on prominent pubic buildings like town halls and churches. Knowing this, we had already noticed the very prominent benchmarks on the Willis Museum and St. Michael's Church. It was only recently we found out that they are far more numerous and they can be on every other street and in town centres, there can be three or more on the same street.

The first time we went searching, we were disheartened that at each location, we found nothing. Then at the last point on our list, we found one. It was great fun searching, almost like a treasure hunt and we would speculate as to how many years it had gone unnoticed. We did get a few stares from people wondering why we seemed to be staring at blank walls.

On subsequent walks, we would revisit sites where we couldn't find the benchmark and then found it by looking harder. One site took us five attempts to find it and it required us trampling down some weeds to uncover it. As Basingstoke has changed so much over the years, a great number of benchmarks have been destroyed. However, some have been destroyed quite recently and I believe they could have been preserved, if there were more awareness of them. This is one of the primary factors for creating this page, which is to raise awareness and preserve those benchmarks that remain.

Benchmarks on Maps

Benchmarks are listed on Ordnance Survey maps and many pre 1960's maps can be viewed online on the National Library of Scotland website.

Benchmark Map Icon

Benchmarks are shown on a map by way of a little arrow mark. Next to them will be some text describing the benchmark, like BM.295·94. The BM. stands for Benchmark and the 295·94 stands for 295.94 feet, above mean sea level (Newlyn datum). In the 1960s or 1970s, the measurements changed from feet to metres. The image below shows an example of a benchmark icon:

Benchmarks Listed on This Page

When we started looking on the maps for benchmarks, we found the more we looked, the more benchmarks seemed to reveal themselves. Each map revision showed that some benchmarks seemed to move or disappear. The different map scales also showed some locations but not others. For these reasons, we decided to initially limit the scope to benchmarks within walking distance of the town centre. When we started making this page, we added a map that was bigger than our initial walking area and so it took in more benchmarks. This charted 86 benchmarks in the central area. When this page was published, it was clear we had to expand the area and so we settled on the area roughly within the modern Basingstoke ring-road. As the ring-road is not square, a few benchmarks are also included that are outside it. This increased the number of benchmarks to 119. This number only covered the maps up to 1946. When we got access to the post 1946 maps, this number increased again. This now means we have a quantifiable list of benchmarks. Many more benchmarks exist outside this area and some benchmarks exist slightly off the map, which is annoying, but we had to draw the line somewhere. there is a good chance we have missed some within the area, as the markings are small and there are many maps and revisions.

Benchmark Numbering

We initially tried to give each benchmark a number based on its location, then we found more in that location that meant we would have had to re-number them all again. We then found different ones on different map revisions. All of this has led to a rather random number placement, but it should not matter as they are only an arbitrary index. Note that there are benchmarks but the range is from 0 to as the 0 benchmark is the fundamental benchmark. Ideally, the fundamental benchmark should have been number 1, but it was one of the last ones we found, on the map, and number 1 was already taken.

Benchmark Names

We tried to give a name to each benchmark that identifies its rough location. Some of these names are more specific than others. For example, where a lot of benchmarks appear close together. If future benchmarks are found, then some may have to be renamed and some already have been. Some are named after old roads and places that no longer exist and some are named after new roads and places, despite the benchmark no longer being there. The further out from the centre, the less accurate the naming may become as there are fewer landmarks to associate them with. Hopefully the names are good enough to recognise a rough location and differentiate them from each other. Note that the descriptions are generic and don't mention specific details, like house numbers. This is for the privacy of the residents.

Maps Used

We initially used the Ordnance Survey OS Six-Inch maps but there were very few benchmarks listed on these and they were not very consistent through their revisions. We now exclusively use the Ordnance Survey OS 25 inch maps. Due to modern maps still being in copyright, the only maps we can fully access digitally, as of , are from 1873 to 1946. There are 6 maps, each with 3 to 5 revisions, giving a total of 24 maps. We have a subscription access to view maps newer than 1946 at old-maps.co.uk, but some of the data is missing and the georeferencing uses maps of different dates. This site also has more scales to choose from, even some 1:500 maps. As we cannot be sure of the map dates, anything post 1946 is put into a single category. The OS MasterMap is the current 1:1,250 map. We do not have access to this, but many websites allow you to view various sections of it, which we have used in our research to show benchmarks lost between the 1980s and the present. Although this is the current map, the data we can view seems to be 5 to 10 years out of date, in places. The following table shows details and links for the 24 maps from 1873 to 1946:

Map Discrepancies

Not all benchmarks appear on all versions of the maps. It is very likely that, over time, new benchmarks were created to replace ones that were destroyed or inaccessible at the time of surveying. In order to measure elevation, there needs to be some distance between two points. If there seems to be clusters of benchmarks, within a few metres of each other, then it is likely these are replacements for each other. It is also possible, but difficult to prove, that some benchmarks were re-carved in the same place or extremely close to the same place. This is because some disappear from maps then reappear in the same place. For these benchmarks, they are just given the same number. The picture below shows some changes between map revisions in the Sarum Hill & Flaxfield Road area:

Map Copyright

The Ordnance Survey maps, used on this page, are all out of copyright. These maps were created before the Ordnance Survey transition to a UK government owned limited company on 2015-04-01. This means a map is out of copyright after 50 years of its publishing date, provided it was created prior to 2015-04-01. The latest map used, on this page, is from 1946 and the copyright expired for this in 1996. For more details, see the Crown Copyright page.

The only other map used, on this page, is a modern underlay map. This is from Stamen using their Toner map. This is under an open license and seems to be linked to OpenStreetMap, which is also under an open license.

We are genuinely unsure if we have understood this copyright correctly and would like to thank all those who made the maps that have enabled us to do this research. These maps are purely used for historical research, which is non-profit.

Historic maps from 25 inch Ordnance Survey 1932:
Hampshire and Isle of Wight XVIII.3/4/7/8/11/12
© Crown Copyright

Map tiles by Stamen Design, under CC BY 3.0.
Data by OpenStreetMap, under ODbL.

Additions & modifications:
© Andrew Watten 2020

Searching for Benchmarks

Due to us having a young family and very limited time, it is impractical for us to search for all the benchmarks. It would be a great help if others could help out in the search and hopefully have some fun while doing so. If you find one and would like it added to the list, please email us at benchmarks@watten.net with a photo and some details, and we will add it to the list. As so many have been destroyed, any historic photos of them would be especially welcome. It would be great if we could increase the number found.

Benchmarks Found

The table below shows some statistics of how many benchmarks have been found, as of .

Note: The percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number, so the total percentage may not add up to 100%.
Note: With the MasterMap information added in 2.2, many of the 'Suspected Destroyed' were changed to 'Destroyed'.

Benchmark Placement

Most benchmarks seem to be low down. The highest one we have found is at about 1 metre off the ground. The lowest one found was disappearing into the road, as years of resurfacing was gradually obscuring it. Most benchmarks out of the town centre seem to be on walls and a lot of these seem to be on the ends of the walls, on the wall posts. Unfortunately, many of these wall posts have been knocked over by cars. If the original surveyors knew how vulnerable these positions were, they probably would have put them in a different place. Many benchmarks are also on pubs. The surveyors must have thought that pubs would last forever, but many of the Basingstoke pubs are now gone. Quite a few are on private houses, but some people have built extensions over them.

Benchmark Orientation

The benchmark map icons are positioned extremely accurately however sometimes the orientation of the icon changes. As we have no historic before and after pictures of these benchmarks, it is unlikely we will ever find out why the icon orientation changed. The following picture shows an example of this:

Advice on Searching

Benchmarks can appear anywhere. For example, public buildings, private residences, bridges, walls etc. Please respect the environment these are found in. For example, we found ourselves standing suspiciously outside someone's house and it didn't feel right, so we marked it that we couldn't find it and moved on. Also, some benchmarks are in very dangerous places like bridges and narrow roads. If a benchmark is on private property, then permission will be needed before searching for it. Note that the public are not allowed on the railway!

List of Benchmarks

The following sections show various lists of all the benchmarks and where they appear on the maps.

Creating a Suitable Map

We needed a suitable map to show where the benchmarks are or were across all maps and revisions. This would meaning joining maps together and then overlaying this with data from all revisions. We then wanted another underlay of the modern road layout for comparison. In the past, maps were produced on sheets and there wasn't the technology available to link these all together. This can now be done and it is called georeferencing, which essentially is joining the maps together and aligning them correctly. The National Library of Scotland has done this for the 1896 maps. Unfortunately this is too old, as many buildings have not yet been built. For the 6 maps used, there is no consistently dated map above 1932. All the maps have a 1932 version so this seemed like the best map to use. This was also a nice bridging date between old and new and it contained the most benchmarks of any survey, at 98 We tried to join these together and although it is not perfect, it should be good enough for locating the benchmarks. We then added an underlay of the modern roads. When complete, we realised that the map was enormous but we couldn't shrink it without loosing the resolution needed to identify the benchmarks. The table below shows the total benchmarks listed per map survey:

Map of Benchmarks

The following picture shows a map of all the benchmarks. This is split into 6 separate sections, due to its size. Please click on the relevant section make it larger. Note that each full resolution section of the map is 4379x5590 pixels. Also note that your web browser may shrink the image to fit on your screen, so you may have to zoom in to see the detail. Each benchmark is highlighted by a red circle, with its associated number next to it. Please note that the circles vary in size and placement slightly. This is to prevent other nearby features or text from being obscured and to prevent being cut up with the map sections.

Note: Maps older than 2.0 did not have version or copyright information on them.

Click this Full Map link to open all 6 sections in one map. Note that the resolution of this combined map is 13137x11180 pixels. Please be aware that this image may be too large for some browsers to display!

Table of Benchmarks

The following table shows a list of all benchmarks, where they located and other information. If they have been found, then there will be an accompanying picture.

Collapse / Expand Table

No.	Benchmark Name	Area	Placement	State	Picture	Date*	Notes
0	FUNDAMENTAL BENCHMARK (Costello School)	Central East	School (Grounds) [NPA]	Confirming	-	-	Confirmed existed on 2019-09-03 by Bench Mark Database. On current MasterMap
1	Willis Museum	Central	Museum [PA]	Confirmed Found	B001MH_2020-08-01	2020-08-01	Contains a bolt
2	St. Michael's Church	Central	Church [PA]	Confirmed Found	B002MH_2020-08-01	2020-08-01	Contains a bolt. Highest placement we have found
3	Cross Street (East)	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Whole north side of Cross Street destroyed
4	New Street / Flaxfield Road (North Side)	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. East end of Flaxfield Road destroyed for New Street extension northwards
5	Goat Lane (West)	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Goat Lane west of New Road destroyed
6	Mortimer Lane	Central	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B006MH_2020-10-16	2020-10-16	Looks like the original wall was destroyed and the benchmark rebuilt into a new wall as the bricks protrude slightly
7	Wote Street / Potters Lane	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Wote Street north section & Potters Lane destroyed
8	The Wheatsheaf (West)	Central	Pub [PA]	Confirmed Found	B008MH_2020-08-01	2020-08-01	Only appears on post 1946 maps
9	United Reform Church	Central	Church [NPA]	Cannot Find	-	2020-08-01	Obscured by extension to left of building, but may still exist as on current MasterMap. Access restricted due to 2020 pandemic
10	Victoria Hotel	Central	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-18	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
11	New Road (North)	Central East	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. New Road north end buildings destroyed
12	New Road (Centre - C)	Central East	Wall (Post) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B012MH_2020-08-21	2020-08-21	Very prominent
13	New Road (South)	Central East	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Only new buildings in this location
14	St Mary's Church	Central East	Church [PA]	Not Checked	-	-	On current MasterMap
15	Brook Street / Church Street	Central North	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B015MH_2020-08-01	2020-08-01	On curved part of wall
16	Brook Street / Station Hill	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Brook Street & Station Hill destroyed
17	The Station Hotel	Central North	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1970s & 1980s maps. Junction Road & Station Hill destroyed
18	Wote Street (North)	Central North	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Wote Street north section destroyed
19	Cliddesden Road / Fairfields Road	Central South	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-18	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
20	Council Road (North)	Central South	Wall (Body) [PA]	Cannot Find	-	2020-08-18	Not on current MasterMap
21	Council Road (School)	Central South	School [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	On current MasterMap
22	Hackwood Road / Cliddesden Road	Central South	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-18	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
23	Jubilee Road (South)	Central South	Unknown Wall	Cannot Find	-	2020-08-18	On current MasterMap
24	Victoria Street / Little Victoria Street	Central South	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-18	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only new buildings in the area
25	Essex Road (Centre)	Central West	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
26	Flaxfield Road / Sarum Hill (South Side)	Central West	Private Building [PA]	Confirmed Found	B026MH_2020-08-29	2020-08-29	On Army Cadet Force building, brick extension on left
27	Flaxfield Road (Centre - B)	Central West	Wall (Body) [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-17	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps
28	Hare & Hounds (North)	Central West	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-01	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
29	Penrith Road (West Side)	Central West	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps.
30	Sarum Hill (Baptists)	Central West	Unknown Wall	Cannot Find	-	2020-08-01	On current MasterMap
31	Sarum Hill (Cinema)	Central West	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
32	Winchester Road (East)	Central West	Unknown Wall	Cannot Find	-	2020-08-21	Not on current MasterMap
33	Rayleigh Road / Worting Road (South Side)	Central West	Wall (Post) [PA]	Probably Exists	-	2020-08-29	Suspected buried behind retaining earthwork. Last shown on 1940 map
34	Near Soldier's Return	Oakridge	Private Residence [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-06-24	Destroyed between 1970s & current MasterMap. Front extension built over benchmark
35	Oakridge Farm (Old)	Oakridge	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1932 & 1946 maps. Oakridge Farm (Old) destroyed for north part of ring-road. A newer Oakridge Farm was built to the north, now destroyed, in what is now Pershore Road
36	Bunnian Place (Bridge)	Southview	Bridge [PA]	Confirmed Found	B036MH_2020-07-24	2020-07-24	Very low down
37	Burgess Road (West)	Southview	Wall (Body) [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-07-24	Destroyed between 1980s & current MasterMap. The wall is still present and it looks quite old. We have searched for this multiple times and found nothing
38	Chapel Hill (South - South Side)	Southview	Unknown Building / Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-07-24	Destroyed between 1970s & 1980s maps
39	Cromwell Road	Southview	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Old wall replaced by modern wall in 2015 but could have been destroyed earlier than this. Benchmark shown on modern MasterMap, so likely it was destroyed recently
40	Darlington Road (East)	Southview	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-07-24	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps
41	Darlington Road (West)	Southview	Wall (Post) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B041MH_2020-07-31	2020-07-31	On right-hand gate post
42	Mortuary Chapel (Church of England)	Southview	Church [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Mortuary Chapel destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
43	Nornhill House (Boundary Stone)	Southview	Boundary Stone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-06	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps
44	Nornhill (Bridge)	Southview	Bridge [PA]	Cannot Find	-	2020-07-24	Very dangerous location. Not on current MasterMap
45	Phoenix Park Terrace / Alley	Southview	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B045MH_2020-08-01	2020-08-01	Benchmark painted over, in black, and hard to see
46	Vyne Road / Queen Mary Avenue	Southview	Boundary Stone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-07-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
47	Richmond Road (West)	Southview	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B047MH_2020-07-31	2020-07-31	Very feint
48	Rising Sun	Southview	Pub [PA]	Confirmed Found	B048MH_2020-10-18	2020-10-18	Very difficult to spot due to years of being painted over
49	Station Outbuilding (North)	Southview	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps
50	Vyne Road / Burgess Road	Southview	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B050MH_2020-07-31	2020-07-31	Definition poor
51	Vyne Road / Phoenix Park Terrace	Southview	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B051MH_2020-07-21	2020-07-21	The 1st benchmark we found when specifically searching
52	Footpath to Oakridge	Southview	Boundary Stone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps but the stone still exists on the 1960s maps but is gone on the 1970s maps. There is some undergrowth, so the boundary stone could still be hidden. Not on current MasterMap
53	Signal Box (East - Between Railways)	Railway	Railway [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	The building still seems to exist, but no benchmark has been recorded on it since 1966. The public are not allowed on the railway! Not on current MasterMap
54	Gashouse Road / Reading Road (South Side)	Central North	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps. Gashouse Road destroyed
55	Reading Road (Salvation Army - North Side)	Central North	Unknown Building / Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed in the 1970s to 1980s
56	Bunnian Place (Seed Mill - West Side)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed in the 1970s to 1980s
57	Bunnian Place (South)	Central North	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Bunnian Place south section destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Some maps show this on the pub, but it was actually on the adjoining house
58	Chapel Street (North)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s map. Chapel Street destroyed
59	Brook Street (West)	Central West	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s map. Brook Street destroyed
60	Brook Street (Brewery)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s map
61	Haymarket	Central	Theatre [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-17	Destroyed between 1980s & current MasterMap. Was on public convenience building on north east side, that has now gone. People remember seeing it
62	Shooter's Lodge	Southview	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps, but building remained until the 1980s
63	Winchester Road (Opposite Shaftesbury Terrace)	Central West	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-21	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps
64	Eastrop Lane (North)	Central East	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
65	The Engineers Arms	Central North	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Not shown as a pub until the 1960s
66	London Road (West)	Central	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-07-21	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
67	Near The White Hart (West)	Central East	Unknown Building / Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-21	Destroyed between 1970s & current MasterMap
68	London Road (School)	Central East	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Not clear if it was on a stone. Could still be hidden in the undergrowth.
69	Engine Shed (North East)	Railway	Railway [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps. The public are not allowed on the railway!
70	Castle Inn	Central East	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps. Note that some people have reported seeing this benchmark in the 2000s, but the building is now destroyed.
71	Gashouse Road (South)	Central East	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
72	Reading Road (Salvation Army - South Side)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps
73	Goods Shed (South East)	Railway	Railway [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps. Now the southern station car park
74	Bunnian Place (Seed Mill - East Side)	Central North	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps
75	Chapel Hill (Bridge)	Central North	Bridge [PA]	Confirmed Found	B075MH_2020-09-13	2020-09-13	Benchmark is upside down. Not on current MasterMap and last shown on the 1873 map
76	Pest House	Railway	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps with railway expansion. Shown as a Pest House on the 1873 1:500 map
77	Old Tunnel West	Railway	Bridge [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps with railway expansion. Tunnel no longer present
78	Rayleigh Road / Worting Road (North Side)	Central West	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps. The building is still present but we have searched it several times and found nothing
79	The New Inn	Central West	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-01	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps. Building became a pub in 1891 and not marked on map as a pub until 1910. Suspected destroyed on pub redevelopment
80	Cross Street / Church Street (East Side)	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
81	Church Steet (North)	Central North	Wall (Body) [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-01	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
82	Wote Street (Foundry)	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps. Wote Street north section destroyed
83	Swan Inn	Central	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps. Wote Street north section destroyed
84	Eastrop Bridge	Central East	Bridge [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
85	Horse & Jockey	Central South	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-26	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
86	Brambly Grange	Central West	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
87	Penrith Road (East Side)	Central West	Unknown Building / Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
88	Kingsclere Road (South)	Southview	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B088MH_2020-10-18	2020-10-18	Only appears on post 1946 maps
89	Lancaster Road	Southview	Private Residence (Internal) [NPA]	Confirming	-	2020-08-25	In garage as it was built on the side of the house. Not on current MasterMap
90	Kingsclere Road (North)	Southview	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B090MH_2020-08-25	2020-08-25	On side of house
91	Merton Farm	Houndmills	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Merton Farm used to be in the town centre
92	Hamilton Close	Houndmills	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-24	Destroyed between 1940 & 1960s maps
93	Isolation Hospital	Winklebury	Boundary Stone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps. New buildings in area, but it could be hidden in the undergrowth
94	Aldermaston Road (South)	Houndmills	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps. New development in area but tree line still exists
95	Ringway North (North Side)	Rooksdown	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps. New development in area but could be hidden in undergrowth
96	Shakespeare Road	Popley	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1940 & 1970s maps
97	Reading Road Roundabout	Oakridge	Milestone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-14	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps. Still may be in the roundabout undergrowth
98	Upton Crescent	Oakridge	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps. The line of the original footpath still exists
99	Barbel Avenue	Riverdene	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1970s & 1980s maps
100	Deadman's Lane	Riverdene	Milestone [PA]	Confirmed Found	B100MH_2020-10-08	2020-10-08	On lower west side of milestone
101	Hackwood Road / Applegarth Close	Central South	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps
102	Hackwood Road / Westfield Road	Central South	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps
103	Cliddesden Road (Near The Shrubbery - Upper)	Central South	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps. Destroyed by the creation of Ringway South
104	Cliddesden Road (Stoke Lodge)	Central South	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps
105	Winchester Road / Hawkfield Lane	Kings Furlong	Milestone [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-11	Destroyed between 1932 & 1960s maps
106	Winchester Road (Near Portacre Rise - On House)	Kings Furlong	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirming	-	-	On current MasterMap
107	Winchester Road (Railway Bridge)	Kings Furlong	Railway [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps. Railway to Alton decommissioned
108	Wessex Close (Cranbourne Lodge)	Kings Furlong	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps. Cranbourne Lodge destroyed
109	Wessex Close (Cranbourne Nurseries)	Kings Furlong	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1932 & 1940 maps. Destroyed to make way for college
110	Worting Road (College - South Side)	Brookvale	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1932 & 1946 maps. Close to, but not on a milestone
111	Worting Road / Alexandra Road	Brookvale	Wall (Body) [PA]	Confirmed Found	B111MH_2020-08-29	2020-08-29	Upside down and on south and not west wall. Likely wall damaged and rebuilt. Not on current MasterMap
112	Worting Road / Deep Lane	Brookvale	Unknown Wall	Suspected Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Only part of the wall remains and there are a lot of weeds. Not on current MasterMap
113	Deep Lane / George Street	Brookvale	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B113MH_2020-08-29	2020-08-29	Side of house
114	Lower Brook Street (School)	Brookvale	Private Residence [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	School building converted to private residences. On current MasterMap
115	May Street	Brookvale	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B115MH_2020-08-29	2020-08-29	Has been painted over but still quite obvious
116	Lower Brook Street (East)	Brookvale	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-29	Destroyed between 1980s & current MasterMap
117	Worting Road (Railway Bridge)	Brookvale	Railway [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1970s & 1980s maps. Railway to Alton decommissioned
118	Worting Road (Lodge - West) / Sandys Road	West Ham	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-08-28	Destroyed between 1946 & 1960s maps, but building remained until the 1970s map
119	New Street / Flaxfield Road (South Side)	Central	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-03	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps. Note that the red ring on the map is slightly below where it should be. This was done so as not to obscure the benchmark text
120	Wote Street / Bedford Place	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-03	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps. Wote Street north section destroyed. Bedford Place is the alley opposite Goat Lane
121	Chapel Hill (South - North Side)	Southview	Unknown Wall	Not Checked	-	-	Not on current MasterMap
122	Winchester Road (Near Portacre Rise - On Road)	Kings Furlong	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-14	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps, replace with number 106
123	Cliddesden Road (Near The Shrubbery - Lower)	Central South	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
124	Ringway North (South Side)	Houndmills	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps. Could still be hidden in undergrowth
125	Chineham Lane	Popley	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1911 & 1932 maps
126	Kingsclere Road (Centre)	Southview	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
127	Kingsclere Road / Aldermaston Road	Houndmills	Guide Post [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
128	Oakridge Infant School	Oakridge	School [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
129	Stratfield Road (West)	Oakridge	Private Residence [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-14	Destroyed between 1970s & current MasterMap. New extension replaced original side building. Only appears on post 1946 maps
130	Stratfield Road (East)	Oakridge	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirming	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
131	Scotney Road	Oakridge	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B131MH_2020-09-04	2020-09-04	Only appears on post 1946 maps
132	Maple Crescent (North)	Oakridge	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B132MH_2020-09-04	2020-09-04	Only appears on post 1946 maps
133	Maple Crescent (South)	Oakridge	Private Residence (Internal) [NPA]	Probably Exists	-	2020-09-04	Only appears on post 1946 maps. In garage, behind plasterboard, as garage was built on the side of the house. On current MasterMap
134	Ringway West	Houndmills	Unknown Wall	Not Checked	-	-	There is a wall buried in the undergrowth. This is an extremely hazardous area! Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
135	Edison Road	Houndmills	Private Building [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-13	Created then destroyed in the 1970s. Only appears on post 1946 maps
136	Watson Way (South)	Winklebury	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B136MH_2020-09-12	2020-09-12	Only appears on post 1946 maps
137	Norden Close	Southview	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B137MH_2020-09-04	2020-09-04	Only appears on post 1946 maps
138	Charles Chute Secondary School	Southview	School [NPA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1970s & current MasterMap. Only appears on post 1946 maps
139	Queen Mary Avenue / Shooters Way	Southview	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B139MH_2020-09-04	2020-09-04	Only appears on post 1946 maps
140	Pemerton Road	Southview	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B140MH_2020-09-06	2020-09-06	Only appears on post 1946 maps
141	Queen Mary Avenue (East)	Southview	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B141MH_2020-09-06	2020-09-06	Only appears on post 1946 maps
142	Wilmott Way (North)	Winklebury	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B142MH_2020-09-12	2020-09-12	Only appears on post 1946 maps
143	Wilmott Way (South)	Winklebury	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B143MH_2020-09-12	2020-09-12	Only appears on post 1946 maps
144	Winklebury Railway Tunnel (East)	Winklebury	Bridge [PA]	Confirmed Found	B144CH_2020-09-12	2020-09-12	Sandwiched between the bridge and the low wall. Only appears on post 1946 maps
145	Churchill Way East (West)	Basing View	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
146	Eastrop Lane (South)	Riverdene	Private Residence [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
147	Hare & Hounds (South)	Central West	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-10-16	Destroyed between 1970s & current MasterMap. The building still exists, but we have searched multiple times and cannot find it. The rear of the building looks new, so it could have been lost in its redevelopment. Only appears on post 1946 maps.
148	Essex Road (North)	Central West	Private Building [PA]	Confirmed Found	B148MH_2020-10-16	2020-10-16	Only appears on post 1946 maps
149	Worting Road (College - North Side)	Brookvale	Unknown Wall	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. Not on current MasterMap
150	Worting Road (Lodge - East) / Sandys Road	Central	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Created and destroyed between the 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
151	The Wheatsheaf (South)	Central	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps. Note that number 8 is very close to this and still exists
152	The Lamb	Central South	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed in 2018 with pub redevelopment. I personally recall seeing this and thought it would be good if someone took photos and listed all these one day. Only appears on post 1946 maps
153	Winchester Road / Penrith Road	Kings Furlong	Private Residence [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
154	Western Way / St Paul's Road	South Ham	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirmed Found	B154MH_2020-09-15	2020-09-15	Only appears on post 1946 maps
155	Western Way / Princes Crescent	South Ham	Private Residence [NPA]	Suspected Destroyed	-	2020-09-15	Extension over benchmark, but may be still there internally. Only appears on post 1946 maps. Not on current MasterMap
156	Hackwood Road / Grove Road	Black Dam	Private Residence [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
157	Wessex Close (College)	Kings Furlong	School [PA]	Confirmed Found	B157MH_2020-09-11	2020-09-11	Only appears on post 1946 maps
158	Winchester Road / Hill View Road	South Ham	Private Building [PA]	Confirmed Found	B158MH_2020-09-15	2020-09-15	Only appears on post 1946 maps
159	New Road (Centre - A)	Central East	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps
160	New Road (Centre - B)	Central East	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
161	Flaxfield Road (Centre - A)	Central West	Private Residence [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-14	Destroyed between 1896 & 1910 maps, possibly covered by extension
162	Pear Tree Inn	Central	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps. East end of Flaxfield Road destroyed for New Street extension
163	Near The White Hart (East)	Central East	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-14	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
164	Western Way / St. Patrick's Road	South Ham	Private Residence [NPA]	Confirming	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
165	Churchill Way (West)	West Ham	Road [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed in 2020 with road widening scheme. Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
166	Wessex Close (Centre)	Kings Furlong	Private Residence [PA]	Confirmed Found	B166MH_2020-09-11	2020-09-11	Only appears on post 1946 maps
167	Winchester Road / Wessex Close	Kings Furlong	Private Residence [NPA]	Not Checked	-	-	Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
168	Cliddesden Road (Opposite Stoke Lodge)	Central South	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-04	Destroyed sometime after the 1960s maps as no newer map to confirm with. Only appears on post 1946 maps
169	Swing Swang Lane (Foot Tunnel)	Daneshill	Bridge [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-27	Destroyed sometime between 2012 & 2020. Old bridge replaced with new concrete structure. Only appears on post 1946 maps. On current MasterMap
170	Chapel Street (Centre)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
171	Reading Road (North)	Central East	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
172	Churchill Way East (Centre)	Basing View	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
173	Basing Road (Laundry)	Central North	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
174	The Railway Arms	Central North	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
175	Rose & Crown	Central	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1960s & 1970s maps. Only appears on post 1946 maps
176	Chapel Hill (North)	Southview	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
177	Rose	Central North	Pub [PA]	Destroyed	-	2020-09-16	Destroyed between 1873 & 1896 maps
178	Jubilee Road (Centre)	Central South	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-10-31	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps
179	London Road (Toll Bar House)	Riverdene	Unknown Building	Destroyed	-	2020-10-31	Destroyed prior to the 1873 map. The location has been estimated on the map
180	Basing Road (West)	Central North	Unknown Wall	Destroyed	-	2020-10-31	Destroyed between 1910 & 1932 maps

* Date the benchmark was last checked, regardless of whether it was found.
Note: Pictures of private residences, that are not publicly accessible, are only shown if permission was gained to take a photo from the resident.

The table below shows a detailed description of the Placement column:

Placement Text	Building Type	Placement on Building	Publicly Accessible	Notes
Boundary Stone [PA]	Boundary Stone	Outside	Yes	Stones can often be covered in overgrowth
Bridge [PA]	Bridge	Outside	Yes	The retaining wall of the bridge
Church [PA]	Church	Outside	Yes	-
Church (Internal) [NPA]	Church	Inside	No	Should be publicly accessible, but only when open
Guide Post [PA]	Guide Post	Outside	Yes	-
Milestone [PA]	Milestone	Outside	Yes	Stones can often be covered in overgrowth
Museum [PA]	Museum	Outside	Yes	-
Private Building [NPA]	Private Building	Outside	No	Private building may be a place of work, factory, society etc. but not a house
Private Building [PA]	Private Building	Outside	Yes	Private building may be a place of work, factory, society etc. but not a house
Private Residence (Internal) [NPA]	House	Inside	No	Internal benchmarks happen when a homeowner builds extensions over them
Private Residence [NPA]	House	Outside	No	-
Private Residence [PA]	House	Outside	Yes	House is immediately adjacent to a public footpath etc.
Pub [PA]	Pub, Inn or Hotel	Outside	Yes	Building was a pub at any point in its history
Railway [NPA]	Railway	Outside	No	On railway building or infrastructure. Strictly no public access, highly dangerous!
Road [PA]	Road	Outside	Yes	On the road itself. Could also be a wall as map not clear. Publicly accessible but dangerous!
School (Grounds) [NPA]	Education	In the Grounds	No	-
School [NPA]	Education	Outside	No	-
School [PA]	Education	Outside	Yes	-
Theatre [PA]	Theatre / Arts	Outside	Yes	-
Unknown Building	Building	Outside	-	Unknown building type as it has been destroyed
Unknown Wall	Wall	Unknown	-	Unknown wall type as it has been destroyed
Unknown Building / Wall	Building / Wall	Unknown	-	Could be a building or a wall but unknown as it has been destroyed
Wall (Body) [PA]	Wall	The main part	Yes	Wall may be publicly or privately owned, but adjacent to a public footpath etc.
Wall (Post) [PA]	Wall	The wall post	Yes	Wall may be publicly or privately owned, but adjacent to a public footpath etc.

Note: [PA] stands for Publicly Accessible.
Note: [NPA] stands for Not Publicly Accessible.
Note: We feel if you can clearly see, with the naked eye, a benchmark on a private building or residence, then it is publicly accessible. Number 115 is an example of this.
Note: We feel if you have to go on private property, like a driveway, or need a zoom lens to see a benchmark, from the public footpath, then it is not publicly accessible and permission will be needed. Number 90 is an example of this.
Note: The [PA] & [NPA] designations are based on the map the benchmark was last found on and not the current map.

Benchmarks Elevations

The table below shows the elevation of each benchmark, as recorded on the maps. It also shows what map and what version of that map, the benchmarks appear on. Note that text associated with a benchmark, on a map, can vary slightly, so only the elevation numbers are recorded. Also note that the middle dot character has been replaced by the full stop character. A hyphen denotes that the benchmark does not appear. If No ID is shown, then the benchmark icon appears on the map, but its text does not. All the maps are from the OS 25 inch series, in the grid Hampshire and Isle of Wight XVIII.n, where .n can be 3, 4, 7, 8, 11 or 12.

Maps are grouped by years, like 1873 & 1879 as the surveys took several years to complete, but they are all part of the same survey. The survey accuracy increased greatly from 1932, so any discrepancies after this are noted, but those before are ignored. As of , we only have partial access to maps newer than 1946. This means we do not know exactly what year the elevation was recorded, so if the benchmark only appears post 1946, then the 1947- column will have a Yes in it or N/A otherwise. Elevations are recorded in feet.

Note: The 'Map .n' column only shows 1873 to 1946 numbers as the sheet numbers are unknown for later dates.

Ordnance Survey Benchmark Archive

Shortly after we finished searching through all the maps, we found that the Ordnance Survey (OS) had a list to download, that showed the location of 517,009 benchmarks. Personally speaking, it was a lot more fun searching on the maps than just downloading a list. However the list is not very user friendly and for the benchmarks we found, it only listed 57 of them, implying the list only showed the ones they could find.

The OS data uses grid references to locate the benchmarks, these are in the form, SU 6364 5217. To search on a grid reference, the UK Grid Reference Finder website has a search box for Grid Reference.

The OS data shows benchmarks for the whole country. We had to filter this data to our map of roughly within the modern Basingstoke ring-road. The approximate grid reference boundaries are:

Analysis of Benchmarks

Destroyed & Suspected Destroyed Benchmarks

During our search we found that some benchmarks were easy to find, some required multiple revisits and some were regrettably destroyed. For the ones that were destroyed, some were clearly gone forever, like 17 The Station Hotel where the whole building was bulldozed. Some others were not that clear-cut. For example 52 Footpath to Oakridge stops being shown on the map in the 1960s but the stone it was on does still appear. There was later redevelopment in the area but there is also a lot of undergrowth. Conceivably the benchmark could still be hidden in the undergrowth but the fact it is no longer on the map and we cannot crawl through all the bushes pushed us to classifying it as Destroyed.

Some are also classified as Suspected Destroyed. These are where there is a bit more doubt involved. Over time, these should all be reclassified as they are revisited.

We would dearly love to be proven wrong and if anyone can prove that a destroyed benchmark is still in existence, then please contact us. It may also be possible that some benchmarks were taken as trophies when buildings were destroyed and we would also like to see any of these, if they exist.

Benchmark Replacement & Areas

Looking at this page, it is clear that about two thirds of all benchmarks have been destroyed. Although it sounds like a great deal, the real number is less than this as over time some benchmarks were added to replace very close ones that were destroyed. By their nature, benchmarks have to have some distance between them in order to measure the elevation difference. By looking at the map, there are some quite obvious clusters, even some benchmarks appearing twice on the same building. These benchmarks were not all present at once, but were replacements for previous ones that were either destroyed, inaccessible or lost.

This section provides speculative analysis to these groupings to try and see how many benchmark areas there were, rather than actual benchmarks. We only have the maps and an assumption of a reasonable distance between benchmarks, to go on. For this reason, this is original research, so we are very open to any advice or help with this.

The following table tries to show the benchmark area and the benchmarks contained within it. Note that a benchmark may actually be replaced with more that one or no benchmark at all. Also not that some benchmarks were originally very close together making this research more complicated.

Areas Analysis

From the Benchmark Replacement & Areas section, we get 125 areas containing 181 benchmarks. This is an average of 1.45 benchmarks per area. With 36 benchmarks found out of 181, this gives a survival rate of 19.89%. However, with 36 benchmarks found out of 125 areas, this gives a survival rate of 28.80%.

Other Information

Contributors & Acknowledgments

Since this page was first published, on 2020-08-25, several people have contacted us with information or have gone to look for benchmarks themselves. This has helped improve the content and accuracy of this page. These people are:

• Peter Dawes
• Debbie Reavell
• Phil Howe
• Karen Hodgson

We have also visited several private residences and asked permission to see the benchmark on that persons property. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has let us look around their property and take photos.

Links

The following links are to websites and documents about the various aspects of Basingstoke history:

• Archaeology
• Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society
• Hampshire Archaeology


• Benchmarks
• Bench Mark Database


• Buildings
• Historic England (Listed Buildings)
• The Lost Pubs Project (Basingstoke)
• Pubs Wiki (Basingstoke)


• Genealogy and Family History
• GENUKI


• Histories
• Basingstoke & Deane (A Brief History)
• Basingstoke Heritage Society (A Short History of Basingstoke)
• localhistories.org (Basingstoke)
• The hundred of Basingstoke
• Visitoruk (Basingstoke Timeline)


• Information & Reference
• A Guide to Sources of Information on Basingstoke’s History
• British History Online (Parishes Basingstoke)
• Holy Ghost Cemetery
• Open Domesday (Basingstoke)
• Wikipedia (Basingstoke)


• Maps & Addressing
• ARCHI UK Maps
• Google Maps (UK)
• National Library of Scotland
• old-maps.co.uk
• Ordnance Survey
• Postcode Finder
• UK Grid Reference Finder
• what3words


• Publications
• A short History of South View [PDF Document]


• Social Media
• Facebook - Finding Ordnance Survey benchmarks


• Societies
• Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society
• The Basingstoke Canal Society
• Basingstoke Heritage Society
• Friends of the Willis Museum


• Tourism & Tours
• Basingstoke & Deane (Local History & Heritage)
• Hidden Britain Tours
• Visitoruk (Basingstoke)


• Transport
• Canals
• The Basingstoke Canal Society
• Rail
• Brief History of Railways in the Basingstoke Area
• Roads
• SABRE (Basingstoke)


• Workhouses
• The Workhouse (Basingstoke)

Contact

To get in contact with us about anything benchmark related, especially any errors on this page, please email: benchmarks@watten.net

Page Information

Page Standards

Both Benchmark and Bench Mark are both valid terms. On this page they will all be referred to as: Benchmark / Benchmarks / benchmark / benchmarks.

All dates on this page are in the YYYY-MM-DD format, as the year is the most significant date.

Media Naming

The media on this page, which is currently only pictures, has a specific naming standard:

• 1st Character
• B = Benchmark
• 2nd to 4th Characters
• 000 to 999 = Benchmark numbers 0 to 999, with leading zeros
• C00 to C99 = Benchmark collage from 0 to 99, with leading zeros
• M00 to M99 = Benchmark map from 0 to 99, with leading zeros
• 5th Character
• C (Photos Only) = Close up photo where the subject fills most of the frame
• M (Photos Only) = Medium photo where the subject is centered and fills about one 9th of the frame
• W (Photos Only) = Wide photo establishing where the subject is in relation to its immediate surroundings
• F (Maps Only) = Full size map
• P (Maps Only) = Partial size map. Section of an already defined full size map
• E (Maps Only) = Example map. Small chunk or several small chunks showing an example
• 6th Character
• T = Thumbnail. Copyright text may be added but would be illegible. May be cropped. Height is 100 pixels max
• S = Standard definition image. Bigger than a thumbnail but smaller than a high definition image. Copyright text may be added. May be cropped
• H = High definition image. The longest side is 1920 pixels. Copyright text added. May be cropped
• N = Native resolution. Copyright text may be added. Not cropped. Used for archive, not for upload
• 7th Character
• _ = Underscore separator
• 8th to 17th Characters
• YYYY-MM-DD = The date taken or produced, in the YYYY-MM-DD format
• 18th to 21st Characters
• .jpg = JPG extension

Example: B113MH_2020-08-29.jpg

Note: All characters are in uppercase and the extension is in lowercase!
Note: This standard means only 999 benchmarks can ever be cataloged. If we ever get to 999 then it means I have spent too much time on this project and should probably stop!

Version History

The table below shows the version history, of this page, highlighting major changes only. It is assumed that each version will introduce minor graphical improvements and text modifications.

© Andrew Watten 2020

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