RockNerd

By RockNerd

Roy of the Rovers. Well, Roy of the Ramblers...

Just when I thought summer was over, we have a beautiful warm, sunny day!
So, prompted by the splendid picture posted by bittersweet, last Sunday, I leapt onto my pushbike & headed over to Hampton.
There, in a quiet cul-de-sac, this cannon is stuck in the ground. The slightly long-winded inscription nearby reads:

"This tablet was affixed in 1926, to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Major General William Roy, FRS.
He conceived the idea of carrying out the triangulation of this country & constructing a complete & accurate map, & thereby laid the foundation of the Ordnance Survey.
The gun marks the SE terminal of the base [another cannon on the perimeter of Heathrow airport marks the other end] which was measured in 1784 under the supervision of General Roy...This measurement was rendered possible by the munificence of HM King George III, who inspected the work on 21st August 1784.
The base was measured again in 1791 by Captain Mudge as the commencement of the principle triangulation of Great Britain."

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