Winkfield Mushroom Castle: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey

England and Wales agricultural land classification data from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and reports, with land graded according to the official methodology, including subdivisions of Grade 3. Survey scales range from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, and some surveys include unedited soil sample point data and pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the official grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil quality variations using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions available for some surveys.
• Map land use suitability at varying scales (from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000) for regional planning applications.
• Study historical land classification patterns from the 1989-1999 survey period for longitudinal analysis.

Strengths

• Uses the current official grading methodology as described in 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales'.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer granularity.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the detail of surveys conducted at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with soil sampling and mapping.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

England and Wales, specifically the Winkfield, Mushroom Castle (Bracknell) site.