Conserving our History

We need to be able to recognise historic features both in and of the landscape if we are to conserve them successfully. This is where the Historic Landscape Characterisation and Historic Environment Action Plans projects – sponsored by English Heritage – are immensely helpful.

Historic Landscape Characterisation

The countryside we see today is an expression of the interaction bewteen people and the landscape over the millenia. Every part of the landscape has a history and this is a major component that contributes to the special landscapes of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB. Rather than focus on a particular archaeological site, historic place or settlement, we can choose instead to map, study and examine the whole landscape. This approach is known as Historic Landscape Characterisation.

The starting point for the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Historic Landscape Characterisation is the present day landscape. It maps, records and describes the historic landscape character of the present day landscape and also identifies where previous land uses are fossilised in the landscape.

The full HLC dataset can be explored in the AONB Interactive Mapping pages. Click here to open the maps in a new window.

Historic Environment Action Plans

The AONB Historic Environment Action Plans, or HEAPs for short, provide a summary of the key characteristics of the historic environment of the AONB at a landscape scale.

The Historic Environment includes all archaeological and historic aspects of the landscape including buildings, settlements, archaeological sites, and the the wider historic landscape character.

The HEAPs draw are based on a robust evidence base including Historic Environment Records, the AONB Historic Landscape Characterisation, and other studies and documents.

The HEAP project will provide a statement of significance for each area and theme and detail the condiition and issues of the characteristics identified. The project will also detail forces for change effecting the historic characteristics of the landscape.

For more information visit the AONB Historic Landscapes Website