ArcGIS shapefile of 288 polygons providing boundary and attribute data for the fifty-five ancient counties of England and Wales as given in the 1831 census for England and Wales. As such this represents the counties of England and Wales as they were before the boundary changes caused by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act, 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. 61) which led to the elimination of some of the detached portions of counties.

These data were created as part of a research program directed by Leigh Shaw-Taylor and Tony Wrigley, which aims ultimately to reconstruct the evolution of the occupational structure of Britain from the late medieval period down to the early twentieth century.

Updated Boundaries of Ancient Woodland polygons covering England. This is the updated spatial dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of ancient woodland in England (excluding the Isles of Scilly). Ancient Woodland features will be approved county-by-county for publication throughout the first year of production until the data product coverage extends across England. Where available this dataset takes precedence over the Ancient Woodland – England dataset. The update revises the inventory to address problems and gaps in the previous iteration. Technological advances mean that small ancient woodlands (0.25-2ha) are being represented within the inventory for the first time as well as wood pasture and parkland being represented as its own category.

The inventory identifies ancient woodland sites in England. Ancient woodland is identified by studying the presence or absence of woods from historic maps, information about the wood's name, shape, internal boundaries, location relative to other features, ground survey, and aerial photography. The information recorded about each wood and stored on the Inventory Database includes its grid reference, its area in hectares and how much is semi-natural or replanted. Prior to the digitisation of the boundaries, only paper maps depicting each ancient wood at 1:50 000 scale were available. Attribution statement: © Natural England 2024. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2024. OS AC0000851168. It includes Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW), which retains a native tree and shrub cover; Plantation on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), where the original tree cover has been felled and replaced by planting, often with conifers; Ancient Wood Pasture (AWPP), where the trees are managed in tandem with a long established tradition of grazing, characteristically with at least some veteran trees or shrubs or; Infilled Ancient Wood Pasture (IAWPP) which has become infilled with trees arising from planting or natural regeneration.

This file contains the digital vector boundaries for the historical ancient counties in England and Wales as at Census Day 1921.

The boundaries available are: (BGC) Generalised resolution - clipped to the coastline (Mean High Water mark).

Contains both Ordnance Survey and ONS Intellectual Property Rights.

ArcGIS shapefile of 245polygons providing boundary and attribute data for the 55 registration counties of England and Wales as given in the 1851 census.

These data were created as part of a research program directed by Leigh Shaw-Taylor and Tony Wrigley, which aims ultimately to reconstruct the evolution of the occupational structure of Britain from the late medieval period down to the early twentieth century.

The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) Project commenced in October 2012, funded by Historic England and hosted by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC). Due to a change in key personnel, the Project was not brought to a close until July 2017. The Oxfordshire HLC is the final project to be completed (outside of London) within Historic England’s national programme and represents the comprehensive coverage of HLC data across England. The aims of the Oxfordshire HLC were: To characterise, digitally map and make available in a web-based format, the historic dimension of the current landscape of Oxfordshire, in order to inform its management, conservation, and understanding at a local, county, regional, and national level. The Oxfordshire HLC project, therefore, identified and recorded evidence of the processes which have shaped the character of the current landscape. To achieve this, polygons, units of land grouped by shared characteristics, were mapped across the whole of the county. For each spatially distinct polygon, data were recorded in an Access database. This included information on the dominant attributes common to the polygon, the Broad and HLC Types those attributes assigned the polygon to, the date of origin of the current landscape type, previous landscape types, associated monuments, and evidence sources used. This methodology was primarily desk-based, using maps and aerial photographs as the primary sources of evidence. A photographic survey was conducted in the field to enhance understanding of different HLC Types. All mapping was carried out within MapInfo, a GIS program, and the linked database was created within the HLC module of HBSMR, an Access database developed and managed by Exegesis. Accuracy of Content: The level of detail and the accuracy of the information held on each HLC type reflect the nature or content of the sources used to compile the record. Users of this data should consult the HER to clarify the level of reliability and/or precision that should be afforded to information derived from the HBSMR. The Site and its Content is provided for your general information only; we do not undertake that Content will always be accurate and complete. Therefore, if you propose to do, or refrain from doing, something in reliance upon Content you find on the Site, you must check the accuracy of the relevant Content by some other means.

The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) Project commenced in October 2012, funded by Historic England and hosted by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC). Due to a change in key personnel, the Project was not brought to a close until July 2017. The Oxfordshire HLC is the final project to be completed (outside of London) within Historic England’s national programme and represents the comprehensive coverage of HLC data across England. The aims of the Oxfordshire HLC were: To characterise, digitally map and make available in a web-based format, the historic dimension of the current landscape of Oxfordshire, in order to inform its management, conservation, and understanding at a local, county, regional, and national level. The Oxfordshire HLC project, therefore, identified and recorded evidence of the processes which have shaped the character of the current landscape. To achieve this, polygons, units of land grouped by shared characteristics, were mapped across the whole of the county. For each spatially distinct polygon, data were recorded in an Access database. This included information on the dominant attributes common to the polygon, the Broad and HLC Types those attributes assigned the polygon to, the date of origin of the current landscape type, previous landscape types, associated monuments, and evidence sources used. This methodology was primarily desk-based, using maps and aerial photographs as the primary sources of evidence. A photographic survey was conducted in the field to enhance understanding of different HLC Types. All mapping was carried out within MapInfo, a GIS program, and the linked database was created within the HLC module of HBSMR, an Access database developed and managed by Exegesis. Accuracy of Content: The level of detail and the accuracy of the information held on each HLC type reflect the nature or content of the sources used to compile the record. Users of this data should consult the HER to clarify the level of reliability and/or precision that should be afforded to information derived from the HBSMR. The Site and its Content is provided for your general information only; we do not undertake that Content will always be accurate and complete. Therefore, if you propose to do, or refrain from doing, something in reliance upon Content you find on the Site, you must check the accuracy of the relevant Content by some other means.

Cornwall Council?s Historic Environment Service pioneered the methodology for Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC), undertaking the first national countywide characterisation in 1994. The Cornwall Method is set out by Peter Herring in 'Historic Landscape Assessment, Presenting a Method' (1998). Characterisation continues to be fundamental to our interpretation and presentation of the historic environment. It allows the historic dimension of the whole landscape to be fully considered and provides a readily understood context for the surviving archaeological remains.

The HLC, of the whole of Cornwall, was undertaken as part of a general Landscape Assessment of the county (published as Cornwall County Council 1996). The HLC was supported and funded by the Countryside Commission (now the Countryside Agency), English Heritage, Cornwall County Council and the six local District Councils.

The Cornwall HLC was a pilot study encouraged by English Heritage who were investigating ways of assessing the historic environment, to enable it to be placed alongside the natural environment in discussions of sustainable development. The method was based on a comprehensive and systematic collection of disparate data that was then mapped, assessed and interpreted by the Service. It represented a new way of characterising the landscape and understanding its evolution. The Cornwall Method has since been adopted and adapted by local Authorities and heritage Agencies throughout the British Isles and Europe.

A basic premise of HLC is that the whole of Britain is one continuous but multifarious historic landscape. All natural habitats in Britain are 'semi-natural', being the products of natural conditions (geology, soils, exposure, native communities etc.) as altered by various land use systems. These systems may have been either deliberate, like woodland management, grazing of heathlands (including cliffs and coastal valleys), and creation of pastures, or incidental to other processes, like the silting of estuaries as a result of tinning, or the creation of marginal habitats alongside roads. As a result, all semi-natural habitats are part of the historic environment and so there are no parts of Britain that do not have a definable historic character.

It is possible to establish, through study, the predominant historic landscape character of each parcel of land in Cornwall. The landscape is comprised of a mosaic of blocks of land whose predominant historical landscape character is both various and repeating. This quality allows parcels to be assigned, using a number of systematic sources (mainly maps), to one of around twenty clearly distinguishable HLC Types. Most Types can be found scattered across the whole of Cornwall and most can be further subdivided according to the sensitivity of characterisation required. To create a smaller-scale and simplified characterisation of the whole county, the Types mapping can be simplified, generalised and, to some extent, reinterpreted, to produce a map of Historic Landscape Character Zones.

Accuracy of Content: The level of detail and the accuracy of the information held on each HLC type reflect the nature or content of the sources used to compile the record. Users of this data should consult the HER to clarify the level of reliability and/or precision that should be afforded to information derived from the HBSMR.
The Site and its Content is provided for your general information only; we do not undertake that Content will always be accurate and complete. Therefore, if you propose to do, or refrain from doing, something in reliance upon Content you find on the Site, you must check the accuracy of the relevant Content by some other means.

The Oxfordshire Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) Project commenced in October 2012, funded by Historic England and hosted by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC). Due to a change in key personnel, the Project was not brought to a close until July 2017. The Oxfordshire HLC is the final project to be completed (outside of London) within Historic England’s national programme and represents the comprehensive coverage of HLC data across England. The aims of the Oxfordshire HLC were: To characterise, digitally map and make available in a web-based format, the historic dimension of the current landscape of Oxfordshire, in order to inform its management, conservation, and understanding at a local, county, regional, and national level. The Oxfordshire HLC project, therefore, identified and recorded evidence of the processes which have shaped the character of the current landscape. To achieve this, polygons, units of land grouped by shared characteristics, were mapped across the whole of the county. For each spatially distinct polygon, data were recorded in an Access database. This included information on the dominant attributes common to the polygon, the Broad and HLC Types those attributes assigned the polygon to, the date of origin of the current landscape type, previous landscape types, associated monuments, and evidence sources used. This methodology was primarily desk-based, using maps and aerial photographs as the primary sources of evidence. A photographic survey was conducted in the field to enhance understanding of different HLC Types. All mapping was carried out within MapInfo, a GIS program, and the linked database was created within the HLC module of HBSMR, an Access database developed and managed by Exegesis. Accuracy of Content: The level of detail and the accuracy of the information held on each HLC type reflect the nature or content of the sources used to compile the record. Users of this data should consult the HER to clarify the level of reliability and/or precision that should be afforded to information derived from the HBSMR. The Site and its Content is provided for your general information only; we do not undertake that Content will always be accurate and complete. Therefore, if you propose to do, or refrain from doing, something in reliance upon Content you find on the Site, you must check the accuracy of the relevant Content by some other means.

This GIS shapefile provides boundary and attribute data for the parishes and places enumerated in the 1851 census for England and Wales. These data derive from the 173 digital maps of the boundaries of English and Welsh parishes and their subdivisions produced to a very high standard by Roger Kain and Richard Oliver in 2001, which was expertly converted into a single GIS of some 28000 polygons by Burton et al in 2004. However, what they produced was not yet ready for the mapping of census data due to a modest number (<10%) of administrative units which either lacked boundaries, were unlocated, had labelling errors, or incorrect census numbers. The Occupational Structure of Britain c.1379-1911 research programme undertook the task of enhancing the Burton et al. GIS to provide a comprehensive shapefile of parish and places as listed in the 1851 and 1831 censuses for the mapping of demographic and occupational data with tolerable accuracy for the whole of England and Wales. To this end it was also decided to add additional attributes concerning counties, hundreds and boroughs in 1831, counties in 1851 and registration sub-districts, districts and counties in 1851 from which shapefiles of these different larger scale administrative units could be assembled.

These data were created as part of a research program directed by Leigh Shaw-Taylor and Tony Wrigley, which aims ultimately to reconstruct the evolution of the occupational structure of Britain from the late medieval period down to the early twentieth century.

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This record is for Approval for Access product AfA055. Flood Alert Areas are geographical areas where it is possible for flooding of low-lying land and roads to occur from rivers, sea and in some locations groundwater. A single Flood Alert Area may cover the floodplain within the Flood Warning Service Limit of multiple catchments of similar characteristics. A Flood Alert Area may contain one or more Flood Warning Areas. In some coastal locations a Flood Alert may be issued for spray or overtopping and be defined by a stretch of coastline.

A Flood Alert is issued to warn people of the possibility of flooding and encourage them to be alert, stay vigilant and make early / low impact preparations for flooding. Flood Alerts are issued earlier than Flood Warnings to provide advance notice of the possibility of flooding and may be issued when there is less confidence that flooding will occur in a Food Warning Area. Flood Warnings Areas (established to apply to discrete communities) are available in AfA054.

INFORMATION WARNING: The groundwater flood alert areas are either at a community/local scale, or where this is not possible are more generalised and based on other factors, such as geology and counties. In general, specialists used the national groundwater dataset to make a comparison with historical maps and bedrock geology to create the groundwater flood alert areas. Additional data sources, including groundwater susceptibility maps, borehole data, local modelling and LiDAR may also have been used depending on the location of the area.

This dataset was last updated on July 9th 2025.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Mapping Project is a project that has been carried out over 12 years, with the aim to enhance our understanding about past human settlement, by providing information and syntheses for all archaeological sites and landscapes that are visible on aerial photographs. To achieve this, all archaeological sites identified on aerial photography in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were mapped and interpreted to a consistent standard, and the resulting information was incorporated into the county Historic Environment Record and National Monument Record databases. More than 50,000 aerial photographs were consulted during the project. These photographs are housed in three main collections: at the National Monuments Record Centre, Cornwall Council, and Cambridge University. The archaeological scope of the project, in line with NMP projects nationally, included all archaeological features from the Neolithic to 1945 visible on aerial photographs. The general sphere of interest of the project can be summarised as follows: - All visible archaeological features (including probable and possible features), dating from the Neolithic to the twentieth century (pre-1946), were recorded. - This includes both plough-levelled sites and those with upstanding remains, regardless of whether they had been previously surveyed. - Previously surveyed sites (those, for instance, appearing on OS maps) which have not been photographed or which are completely obscured by vegetation were not recorded. - Features still in use or fossilised by later structures that are still in use (e.g. buildings, field hedges, canals and railways) were not recorded. Over the course of its 12 year lifetime the project has produced a huge amount of data. This, in tandem with technological developments during this time, has completely transformed not only the amount of available information about Cornwall's archaeology visible on aerial photographs, but also the way in which it can be accessed. As a result of the project, coupled with the use of GIS, whole historic and prehistoric landscapes have been mapped and can be viewed in their entirety. Roughly 30,000 archaeological features were mapped and recorded in the project Morph2 database. More than 24,000 monument records in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Historic Environment Record (HER) were either created or enhanced by data from the project. Seventy five percent of the sites identified during the project are new to the HER and 85% are new to the National Monuments Record. Accuracy of Content: The level of detail and the accuracy of the information held on each site reflects the nature or content of the sources used to compile the record. It has been possible to verify the information 'on the ground' in only a small percentage of sites. Users of this data should consult the HER to clarify the level of reliability and/or precision that should be afforded to information derived from the Cornwall & Scilly NMP dataset. The Site and its Content is provided for your general information only; we do not undertake that Content will always be accurate and complete. Therefore, if you propose to do, or refrain from doing, something in reliance upon Content you find on the Site, you must check the accuracy of the relevant Content by some other means.