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A Short History of the CompanySummaryThe Company was founded in 1977. Founders of the Company were Robin Harvey and Susan Harvey, who remain its Directors to this day. From the beginning, HARVEY specialised in making maps for outdoor recreation, principally walking, cycling, orienteering. Harvey maps have always been based on original mapping derived from new surveys from air photography. In 1977 the company produced the map for the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon. This map was the beginning of what is now an extensive series.In addition to mapping in the UK, HARVEY has produced mapping in Canada, Greenland, Ireland and Africa, usually in conjunction with a local company or organisation. HARVEY maps have been reproduced under licence in numerous publications. HARVEY has a joint map series with the British Mountaineering Council.The company has a staff of 8 and has been based in Doune, Perthshire for the last 28 years.Foundation of the CompanyThe Company was founded in 1977 following the 1976 World Orienteering Championships, to provide a professional mapmaking service for the sport of orienteering. During the 1980s the Company established permanent premises in Doune, Perthshire. This gave space for stereo plotters, drawing office, and printing department. Founders of the Company were Robin Harvey and Susan Harvey, who remain its Directors to this day. The creation of new mapping gave the opportunity to develop maps designed specifically for walkers. Harvey maps have always been based on original mapping from new surveys from air photography.Early daysEarly customers of the company were orienteering clubs and major orienteering and fell running events. One of the first events was the renowned Karrimor International Mountain Marathon. In 1977, for the first time, a special map was made for the competition. The new mapping, of the Howgill Fells, still forms part of the HARVEY stable, albeit after passing through a number of editions and revisions.1:40,000 was the scale chosen for this event - giving the advantages of compact map sheet size and the space to include the level of detail needed to give a clear picture of the terrain. Many HARVEY maps still use this scale, including the now well established British Mountain Map series, made in cooperation with the Briish Mountaineering Council.Cartograhic techniquesTo start with, maps were drawn with pen and ink. In the 70s and 80s the chief cartographic technique was scribing (engraving linework) and masking (cutting out areas), together with the photographic processing that this required. How things have changed! 1990 saw HARVEY producing their first digital maps, drawn on an Apple Mac using Illustrator. Given today's computer power, it seems inconceivable that it started on a Mac Plus with 1Mb RAM. For the first 10 years hardware and software were constantly pushed to their limits to achieve the desired results.High tech, low beamsOn a regular basis parties of students of cartography have come to Doune to see how the maps are made. One such visit resulted in an article in a student newspaper entitled "High tech, low beams". We're happy with that. It gives a flavour of the premises - a seventeenth century coaching inn, complete with a ring in the wall to tie up your horse, a millstone as part of the floor (reputedly with wee Willie underneath), and oak beams too hard to drive a nail into - and it encapsulates our philosophy of applying modern technology with the care and precision of a craft industry.A healthy enjoyment of work with maps has its lighter side too. In 1981 the first map jigsaw puzzle, the famous MAZZLE, appeared. Over 10 years the series expanded to include titles from all over the UK. In 2003 the company launched a completely new generation of the MAZZLE, in an eye-catching shrink-wrapped box with a full colour map illustration on the lid.AwardsIn 1992 HARVEY won its first award, from Country Living magazine. This has been followed by numerous others, including the 1995 Golden Boot Award from the Outdoor Writers Guild, two prestigious Design Awards from the British Cartographic Society, and three from the International Map Trade Association. In 2006 the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild presented Sue and Robin Harvey with the Golden Eagle Award for outstanding lifetime contribution to the outdoorsPrinting goes out of houseBy the early nineties it was becoming clear that HARVEY maps would have to be printed in a wider variety of sizes and formats. With printing becoming increasingly competitive, the decision was taken to outsource that phase of the work. After an emotional goodbye, Thor, the 3-ton Heidelberg printing machine, was hoisted away onto a truck for transport to a new life in Africa, and the space was converted to a store to accommodate the growing stocks of new titles. Superwalkers and Route mapsMeanwhile, another major development was the decision to publish a series of maps at 1:25,000 scale, and the Superwalker was born. Exceptionally clear, accurate, detailed, easy to read, and waterproof, these have become the core around which the HARVEY reputation has developed.Around that time too, a second series of HARVEY maps was establishing itself - route maps of National Trails and Long Distance Paths. The first, West Highland Way, was published in 1996. Within 15 years there were 30 titles in the range.Strategic alliances at home and abroadThe company has worked closely with 2 foreign companies, one in Canada and one in Denmark, to produce respectively maps of Canadian National Parks and hiking areas in Greenland. In both cases the basic map construction was done in Scotland, with the editing and printing completed at their destination. Some 3 dozen maps were made in this way.By the time of the Foot and Mouth episode in 2001 the company had grown to 15 staff. Faced with a halving of business within a fortnight, the directors had little choice but to rapidly down-size. Sadly that meant saying goodbye to five valuable staff members. Everyone tightened their belts, there was a strict moratorium on purchases and many opportunities had to be passed over. The company survived. In 2002 a large project began in cooperation with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to develop maps to encourage walking and cycling in the Park. A total of 15 maps were made, including an innovative product, the Outdoor Atlas. On the lines of a road atlas, but at a larger scale and more detailed, it is printed on waterproof paper and is a great boon for those enjoying activity out of doors.Over the years HARVEY maps have been reproduced under licence in publications by Cicerone, Collins (Collins Rambler's Guides), Vertebrate Graphics, Beacon and others 2005 saw the beginning of a major co-operative project between HARVEY, the British Mountaineering Council and the British Geological Survey. This map series, the brainchild of BMC President Mark Vallance, began with the Lake District and immediately won the Outdoor Writers Guild Crystal Award. Extremely tough, completely waterproof and covering the whole of the central Lake District, it caused quite a stir when, at the launch in the presence of 1000 walking and climbing enthusiasts, Doug Scott's son was hoisted 3 feet off the ground standing on this 'magic carpet'. The lad showed admirable sang-froid faced with starring in this unusual stunt. The point was made, and the map became instantly memorable.By 2010 the series had grown to include such titles as Ben Nevis, Yorkshiore Dales, Knoydart and Snowdonia.In 2006 a more unusual jproject began in collaboration with Frankfurt Zoological Society to produce a management map of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This followed cartography of a number of maps in East Africa.2006 also saw the publication of the acclaimed map of Macgillycuddy's Reeks in Killarney, the third HARVEY walking map in Ireland. BackgroundRobin Harvey received the MBE in 1977 for services to orienteering mapmaking following the World Orienteering Championships 1976 held in Scotland in Aviemore.Sue Harvey is Honorary President of the International Orienteering Federation. She serves on the Board of Governors of the International Masters Games Association, and is an ExCo member of the International World Games Association. Past Chairman of the McLaren Leisure Centre and Convenor of Kilmadock Development Trust, Sue Harvey was UK National Orienteering Champion in 1971. In the New Year Honours List 2010 Sue was awarded the MBE for services to orienteering and to the community of Doune and Deanston |
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