Characterising Our Historic Landscape

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 object of study is the present day landscape of the AONB. This section will allow you to explore the history and origins of the woods, fields and settlements you can see around you

If you are interested in studying the historic character of a particular area of the AONB, then why not explore our interactive HLC Map in the AONB Interactive Mapping pages. Click here to open the maps in a new window.

We also have a special section devoted to the historic character of the areas routeways.

You can also explore the key characteristics of individual areas in the AONB.