Important Historic Settlements

Many of the villages in the AONB are of special architectural or historical interest and have been designated as Conservation Areas

Conservation areas are places which have been identified as being of special architectural or historic interest. They give broader protection than listing individual buildings: all the features listed or otherwise, within the area, are recognised as part of its character. This applies to an area (usually settlement) considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest. This 'specialness' is judged against local and regional criteria,, rather than national importance as is the case with listing, and ideally is determined through a comprehensive Conservation Area Appraisal. Conservation areas are designated under national legislation but it is individual local authorities who have the power to designate them.

There are 63 conservation areas in the AONB all of which are villages. These range from planned Medieval settlements to nucleated settlement and common edge settlement. In the case of smaller villages the conservation area boundary can encompass the majority of the settlement. In the case of larger villages, such as Dinton and Tisbury it reflects the historic core of the settlement.

Download a short introduction to the designated heritage of the AONB (PDF 753 KB).

This document forms part of the wider AONB Historic Environment Action Plans.