ALCL20495: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Hedgeley Haugh in Northumberland was surveyed for agricultural land classification between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports, with mapping scales ranging from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. Unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Map agricultural land quality grades based on the detailed survey methodology.
• Analyze soil characteristics and subgrades for Grade 3 land using available soil pit descriptions.
• Compare land classification across different survey scales mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Survey data uses the current grading methodology as described in the official Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales.
• Maps include the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Original paper maps and reports provide detailed historical context.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness is unverified as the last update date is unknown.
• The dataset may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific site survey.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Hedgeley Haugh, Northumberland, England