Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Darlington Site Maps and Reports

The Darlington, Muscar House survey is part of the Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) detailed site survey data. Scanned original paper maps and reports for individual sites surveyed between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food are included, with Grade 3 subdivided into 3a and 3b. Surveys use the grading methodology from the "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales" guidelines, and unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on detailed site survey maps and reports.
• Compare soil characteristics and land grades using unedited sample point soils data.
• Map land-use suitability for planning based on the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Study changes in land classification methodology by referencing the official grading guidelines.

Strengths

• Survey data collected over a defined 10-year period from 1989 to 1999.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer granularity.
• Original paper maps and reports are scanned, preserving historical survey detail.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, with maps scanned from original paper documents.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Darlington, Muscar House site (England)