Thursday 3 June 2010

Site Features

Site features

The site of a settlement is the land on which it is built. There are a number of different types of sites which have been used for settlements from earliest times.

SiteCharacteristics
DefensiveDifficult to attack e.g. hill-top or island
Hill-footSheltered, with flat land for building and farming
GapLower, more sheltered land between two hills
Wet pointClose to water in a dry area
Dry pointOn higher, dry area close to wet land e.g. marshes or flooding rivers
Route centreFocus of routes (e.g. roads) from surrounding area
Bridging pointWhere bridges can be built over a river



Identify the type of site by matching each settlement letter to the appropriate description of its site.

Hill-foot
Gap

Wet-Point

Dry-Point
Route Centre

The importance of individual site features changes through time.

In Early Times (before 1800)

FeatureReason / example
Good defenceHard to attack e.g. hill top, island
Close to waterFor water and fish supplies
Close to woodlandFor fuel, building materials and food
On useful farmlandTo provide food
Flat landMakes building easier
Good communicationsBy road and river

In Later Times (after 1800), other features became important when considering the site of a settlement

FeatureReason / example
Close to resourcesAs raw materials for industry e.g. limestone or coal
Close to portsTo transport raw materials or goods
Faster communicationAs industry grew and developed e.g. canals, railways and more recently, motorways and airports.
Pleasant environmentFor a) larger number of retired people and b) hi-tech industries which wish to locate in attractive areas

by the BBC

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