Framing Perceptions of the Historic Landscape: Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) and Historic Land-Use Assessment (HLA)

Abstract

Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) and Historic Land-Use Assessment (HLA), the English and Scottish versions of historic landscape characterisation respectively, take systematic representations of landscape components such as boundary and land use patterns and use transparent processes of assessment and interpretation to abstract or characterise the essence of the history that established the form, and feel, of the present-day world. Time-depth is introduced when either earlier or archaeological mappings are subjected to similar assessment, allowing people to appreciate the trajectory of past change in ways that are useful for guiding future change. Some attributions and interpretations can, like those in all other forms of historical study and discourse, be debatable and some see the broad-brush approach as over-simplifying a complex world. However, if HLA and HLC are regarded as problematising frameworks within which secondary more detailed and critical work can be located, then many of these issues evaporate. Applications include supporting, informing, framing and stimulating further historic landscape and archaeological research; informing landscape assessment, policy, strategy and management; and developing dialogue with a wide range of partners.