Further Guidance and Worked Examples: Stage 1
Stage 1: Define the Subject
Identify and briefly describe the heritage asset, landscape and place (or type of heritage asset or historic landscape character type) whose distinctiveness will be assessed. The ‘subject’ of the assessment.
A heritage asset is a building or monument identified as having a degree of significance. It will merit consideration in decision making, because of its heritage interest. Heritage assets can be ‘designated’ or undesignated. This means they are legally protected or not yet identified for legal protection.
Undesignated assets include those which have yet to be formally assessed for designation or are ineligible. They still have an important role to play in place-making.
landscape or place means a wider landscape. These can be rural, urban or maritime, or a more specific place that has its own definable entity. A landscape or a ‘place’ will have a ‘historic character’. That Character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and human factors over time.
By type we mean the grouping, as a named class, of similar assets or similar forms of historic landscape. Some types are described in Historic England’s ‘Introductions to Heritage Asset’ series. Further information on Cornwall's Historic Landscape Character Types is available here.
At Stage 1 it will be helpful to record as a minimum:
- The name of the assessment subject
- A grid reference, address or post-code (if the subject is a single asset or place rather than a type)
- The reference numbers of HER assets or designated sites, including their grade.
- A succinct description and history, normally drawn from existing sources of evidence.
- Key evidence sources
Resources
Once an assessment subject has been identified it should be briefly described. It will be helpful to gather existing evidence. This may be from available online sources, or from more traditional research sources. These may include libraries and the Cornwall Record Office. Available online evidence sources particularly useful to distinctiveness assessment include the following:
- The Cornwall and isles of Scilly Historic Environment Record
- The National Heritage List for England
- The ‘Geology of Britain Viewer’
- Cornwall Historic Landscape Characterisation, including secondary finer- grained HLCs
- The Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Historic Environment interactive map. Specifically, the reports on investigations accessed via the ‘Events’ layer.
- Historic England’s Designation Selection Guides and Introductions to Heritage Assets
- Cornwall Technical conservation advice and guidance
- Cornwall Historic Environment Service Urban Appraisals and Surveys. These include links to available Conservation Area Appraisals and other surveys.
- Online Historic Maps. The Historic Environment Record Interactive Map and other sites. The National Library of Scotland collection covers Cornwall.
- Forum for Information Standards in Heritage (FISH) vocabularies. These provide standardised terms and definitions for landscapes, heritage assets and components.
Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) has much in common with Distinctiveness Assessment.
HLC identifies the predominant historic attributes of landscape (pattern, form, materials, etc). These attributes establish an area’s character. HLC qualities are closely related to distinctiveness. They are often defined as a thing’s distinctive nature, features, or qualities.
The Cornwall wide HLC (1994) and subsequent detailed studies can be a key source for understanding cultural distinctiveness.
Worked example
Tintagel Haven is a beach situated below Tintagel Castle on the north side of Tintagel Island.
Evidence suggests the Haven was in use as a sheltered port from the early medieval period through to the 19th century.
Tintagel Castle and much of the surrounding area is designated at a national level. Historic elements of the Haven remain unlisted.
The Cornish Distinctiveness Assessment Framework has been applied to the Haven. This demonstrates how the identification of distinctive and at-risk characteristics can help these elements be understood, respected, and maintained by those who are planning and managing change in Cornwall’s historic environment.