Using Historic Landscape Characterisation

Using Historic Landscape Characterisation
Guiding Principles for HLC
Present not past: it is the present-day landscape that is the main object of study
Landscape as history not geography: the most important characteristic of landscape
is its time-depth; change and earlier landscapes exist in the present landscape
Landscape not sites: HLC-based research and understanding are concerned with
area not point data
All aspects of the landscape, no matter how modern, are treated as part of
landscape character, not just ‘special’ areas
Semi-natural and living features (woodland, land cover, hedges etc.) are as much a
part of landscape character as archaeological features; human landscape –
bio-diversity is a cultural phenomenon
Characterisation of landscape is a matter of interpretation not record, perception
not facts; understand ‘landscape’ as an idea, not purely as an objective thing
People’s views: it is important to consider collective and public perceptions of
landscape alongside more expert views
Landscape is and always has been dynamic: management of change, not
preservation is the aim
The process of characterisation should be transparent, with clearly articulated
records of data sources and methods used
HLC maps and text should be easy to understand, jargon free and easily
accessible to users
HLC results should be integrated into other environmental and heritage
management records (e.g. SMRs or HERs)
Guiding principles
The principles behind historic
characterisation are simple. They
concern mapping the historic dimension
of today’s rural and urban landscapes,
and are about being comprehensive, not
selective (leaving no ‘grey areas’), and
viewing areas rather than individual
sites. HLC is concerned with the
commonplace and the locally distinctive
and, through identifying and analysing
time-depth, it expresses the dynamic
nature of towns and countryside.
There are usually two stages to the
characterisation process: a first in which
the landscape or townscape is
identified, mapped, described and
interpreted – i.e. ‘this is what we have’
– and a second in which judgements,
whether about value or more practical
priorities, are applied to this initial
assessment and objectives are agreed –
i.e. ‘this is what we wish to do with it’.
This second stage lends itself directly to
a variety of land management and
conservation applications, which Part 2
will demonstrate.
Mapping plays a central role in historic
characterisation, both in the process
of defining Character Types and Areas,
and in the presentation and
manipulation of the results. The use
of GIS, including digital historic maps,
ensures flexibility and has now reached
the stage where it is a requirement for
the successful delivery of HLC projects.
General approach
The aim of most HLC studies is to
characterise the distinctive historic
dimension of today’s urban and rural
environment within a given area.
Achieving this through the HLC process
is relatively straightforward.
It begins with the systematic
identification and description of many of
the historic attributes of the
contemporary rural and urban
landscape, using a number of common
sources.
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