---
title: Mapping The Red Headed League
date: 2026-01-11T10:41:06+08:00
categories:
  - links
  - visualisation
---

[Mapping The Red Headed League](https://aman.bh/blog/2026/mapping-the-red-headed-league) is a fascinating reconstruction of the actual places mentioned (or hinted at) by Arthur Conan Doyle's [The Red Headed League](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red-Headed_League) by [Aman Bhargava](https://aman.bh/).

> We cross-reference railway timetables, scrutinize Victorian newspaper reports and historical incidents, scour government records, analyze meteorological data, and, in my specific case, pore over Ordnance Survey maps to make the pieces fit.

[![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2026-01-11-charterhouse-square.avif)](https://aman.bh/blog/2026/mapping-the-red-headed-league)

What struck me is how little London has changed, how much old data is available, and what _love_ it takes to reconstruct such a journey!

I also learnt several geo-tools / services I didn't know about:

- [gpx.studio](https://gpx.studio/) - for visualizing GPS tracks on maps
- [openroute service](https://openrouteservice.org/) - for route planning and isochrones
- [OpenFreeMap](https://openfreemap.org/) lets you serve custom maps on any website
- [Protomaps](https://docs.protomaps.com/) creates custom map tiles
- Mapbox / MapLibre styles can be used to create [3D building styles](https://github.com/makinacorpus/cassini-gl-style).