British National Grids projection does not add Ordnance Survey grids to shapefile?

Question

I have created a shapefile in ArcCatalog by right-clicking the folder I want it in, then selecting new, then shapefile, then changing the type to "polygon", and using the British National Grids under the projected co-ordinate system.

I then tried to add the shapefile in ArcMap by clicking the Add Data button and selecting the shapefile I created.

My problem is that when I open the shapefile in ArcMap, the map is still blank and I cannot see the projected shape of the British National Grids.

Answer 1

Specifying "British National Grids" in the projection sets the projection of your data (regardless of what data your shapefile will contain). It DOES NOT populate the shapefile with vectors/polygons of the national grids.

In order to see the British National grids as polygons, you need to either find a source that already has the data, or digitize the grids yourself. The answers to Ordnance Survey grids - download or generate? include possible sources for the data.