Selection Guidance for Landscapes, Battlefields and Wrecks
As well as information about listed buildings and scheduled monuments, you can also discover 47 Registered Battlefields, nearly 60 Protected Shipwrecks and over 1700 Registered Parks and Gardens on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).
Explore the guidance on this page to learn more about battlefields, designed landscapes and shipwrecks, and how we might assess them for inclusion on the NHLE.
Parks and Gardens Selection Guides
Designed landscapes of special interest, including parks, gardens and cemeteries, are included on our Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest (the Register), which is hosted on the NHLE.
You can find out more about how we assess parks and gardens in our four Parks and Gardens Selection Guides. Each of the guides covers a different theme and includes:
- A historical summary of how that type of landscape developed, including information on some key designers and examples
- The criteria for registration, as well as guidance specific to that type of designed landscape
- A select bibliography
Rural Landscapes
This guide is the place to understand more about parks and gardens around (mainly) private houses, including landscaped parks around country houses.
Urban Landscapes
This guide covers a range of designed landscapes found in towns and cities, such as town squares and municipal parks.
Landscapes of Remembrance
This guide is where you can find information on a variety of landscapes used for remembrance, such as burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria gardens.
Institutional Landscapes
This guide is the place to understand more about the designed settings of institutions such as schools and universities.
Where can I find out more about Parks and Gardens?
To find out more about how designed landscapes like parks and gardens are registered, please visit our page 'What are registered parks and gardens?'.
You can also explore specific types of designed landscapes in our short Introductions to Heritage Assets (IHAs) series, which complement the Selection Guides:
Battlefields Selection Guide
Historically important battlefields are included on our Register of Historic Battlefields (the Register), which is hosted on the NHLE. You can find out more about we assess battlefields in our Battlefields Selection Guide, which includes:
- A historical summary of the changing nature of warfare in England between the late Saxon period and the 17th century
- A definition of what we consider to be a battle
- The criteria for considering a battlefield for registration, including its historic significance and the importance of being able to provide accurate mapping
- An explanation of other criteria covered including archaeological potential, documentation, and biographical associations
- A select bibliography
Explore our Battlefields Selection Guide
Where can I find out more about registered battlefields?
To find out more about how battlefields are protected through registration, please visit our page 'What are registered battlefields?'.
Ships and Boats Selection Guide
Protected wreck sites are likely to contain the remains of a vessel, or its contents, which are of historical, artistic or archaeological importance. Protected wrecks can be searched on the NHLE. Sometimes marine heritage including ships and boats are protected by other means, including scheduling. You can find out more about the different types of protection in this Selection Guide, which includes:
- A brief overview of the types of vessels covered in the guide
- Specific considerations for assessing ships and boats for protection
- A summary of the different types of designation that can be applied to ships and boats
- A select bibliograph for further reading, and guidance on where to find other sources of information
Explore our Ships and Boats Selection Guide
Where can I find out more about Ships and Boats?
To find out more about how wrecks are protected, as well as an interactive map showing some of the wreck sites around our coastline, please visit our page 'What are protected wrecks?'.
You can discover more about specific types of vessels in our short Introductions to Heritage Assets (IHAs) series, which complements the Selection Guide:
