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A History of Spaces Cartographic reason, mapping and the geo-coded world
John Pickles
I~ ~~O~!!~~i~~UP LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2004 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2004 John Pickles Typeset in Times by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear Printed and bound in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wiltshire All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Pickles, John, 1960A history of spaces: cartographic reason, mapping, and the geocoded world! John Pickles. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Cartography. L Title. GA105.3.P522004 526-dc21 2003008283
ISBN 0-415-14497-3 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-14498-1 (pbk)
For Lynn, Leon and my parents, and for three teachers: Roger Downs, Peter Gonld and Joseph Kockelmans
Contents
One pylon marks the spot BBC News Monday, 15 October 200111:55GMT, http://news.bbc.co.uklhi/english/uk/england/newsid_160000011600225.stm
List of illustrations Preface and acknowledgements
A field in North Lincolnshire is the most featureless part of the UK, according to a new Ordnance Survey (OS) map.
PART]
Introdnction
The square kilometre on the outskirts of the village of Ousefieet, near Scunthorpe, has nothing in it except a single electricity pylon and some overhanging cable. Grid reference SE830220 on map 112 is as near as cartographers can find to a completely blank square among the 320,000 in the widely-used Landranger map series, ..
1
Philip Round from the OS said: 'We're not saying it's the dullest place in Britain. It might be the most fascinating place on earth but on our Landranger maps it has the least amount of information. No ditches, streams or buildings in it are shown on this particular scale of map. That's quite some going, considering the lOW-lying areas of East Anglia and remote parts of Scotland.'
2
3
What do m~ps represent? The crisis of representation and the cntIque of cartographic reason Situated pragmatics: maps and mapping as social practIce
25 27
60
PART III
The over-coded world: a genealogy of modem mapping
'It's a lovely place to live,' Mrs Ella said. 'It's a small, friendly community with a lovely church nearby.'
4
The cartographic gaze, global visions and modalities of vIsual culture
But the family is not impressed by the thought that map enthusiasts may soon be flocking to the location.
5
Cada~tres and capitalisms: the emergence of a new map conSCIOusness
'If people want to come and look at a field, I don't mind, but they're
The OS has warned that the field's claim to fame could be threatened by more detailed maps of the same area, 'Drainage ditches or dykes might be shown up,' said Mr Round.
3
PART II
Deconstmcting the map
wasting their petrol.'
1
Maps and worlds
The quest to find Britain's most boring place was set by a listener to John Peel's Home Truths show on BBC Radio 4.
'Friendly community' The land has been farmed by the Ella family for over 100 years. Tom and Avril, both in their 50s, grow wheat, barley and sugar beet on it.<