Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Thatcham, Colthrop (1989-1999)

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for the Thatcham, Colthrop site. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It uses the grading methodology from 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' and may contain unedited soil sample point data and pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze historical land use changes based on scanned maps from the 1989-1999 period.
• Model soil characteristics for specific sites based on the available unedited sample point and soil pit data.

Strengths

• Data follows the established grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more detailed analysis.
• Some surveys contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

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

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; published via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with maps and reports, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data is from 1989-1999; recency of digital publication is unknown.

Geography

Thatcham, Colthrop (Newbury DLP Site 5647), England