How the record is assembled

Different sources answer different questions

No single source provides a complete history of a place. A list entry may identify designation and principal features, an archaeological report may record buried evidence, a photograph may date a lost shopfront, and somebody who knew the building may explain its former use. The record becomes more useful when those accounts can be compared.

Historic England

National Heritage List for England entries provide official designation details, list descriptions, grades, dates of listing and identifiers. They are presented as official source records, not treated as complete building histories.

Royal Commission inventory

The Royal Commission's 1934 Herefordshire inventory provides earlier descriptions, plans, plates and observations for securely matched buildings. It records the understanding and condition of its own survey period, so it is presented as a dated source rather than a description of the building today.

Historic Environment Record data

Herefordshire Historic Environment Record references identify archaeological sites, monuments, finds and investigations. The project keeps the HER reference and source status visible rather than recasting the information as its own discovery.

Archaeological reports

Excavations, evaluations, watching briefs and building-recording reports can provide dated observations, plans, sections and specialist analysis. Field evidence is distinguished from the author's interpretation of it.

Published histories

Books, journal articles and local studies are cited by author, title, date and page wherever possible. An account gains authority from its evidence and reasoning, not simply because it has been repeated in print.

Historic mapping

Ordnance Survey editions, tithe maps, estate plans and other historic maps help trace plots, routes, watercourses, names and changing uses. Each map records a particular moment and may contain conventions, omissions or surveying errors.

Building observation

Visible fabric, construction joints, roof structures, framing, cellars and later alterations are recorded with their location, date and access limitations. Observation describes what is present before proposing what it may mean.

Photographic recording

Current survey photographs and historic images are kept distinct. Creator, date, subject, provenance and rights are recorded where known, with uncertain dates or attributions stated plainly.

Local testimony

Memories, family knowledge, former occupiers' accounts and information from owners can identify uses, names and changes absent from formal records. Testimony is attributed and checked where possible, while its status as recollection remains clear.

Project interpretation

Leominster Heritage may connect several sources or interpret surviving fabric. These conclusions are written separately from quoted or imported records, supported by the evidence used and labelled as provisional when appropriate.

From source to public record

1. Identify the place.Names, addresses, mapped positions and stable source references are reconciled so that evidence attaches to the correct place.
2. Preserve the source.Official wording, quotations, image provenance and bibliographic references are retained without silent alteration.
3. Compare the evidence.Dates, descriptions, historic maps, photographs and physical observations are checked against one another, including evidence that does not agree.
4. Explain the interpretation.A concise public account is prepared, with a clear separation between recorded evidence and the project's reading of it.
5. Review and revise.Contributions and corrections are checked privately before publication. Material changes retain a reason and review date.

When sources disagree

Conflicting accounts are not merged into a false certainty. The project records who made each claim, when it was made, what evidence supported it and whether later work confirms or challenges it. The source carrying most weight depends on the question. Direct observation may resolve a construction detail, while a dated document may be stronger evidence for ownership or use.

An official source is identified as official, but official status does not make every sentence exhaustive or prevent later research from refining the account. A local recollection may open an important line of enquiry without immediately becoming an established fact.

Dates, confidence and open questions

Recorded date

Supported by a source such as a dated document, inscription, dendrochronology result or securely dated investigation.

Approximate date

Expressed as circa, a range or a century when the available evidence does not justify a single year.

Traditional date or account

A later source preserves the story, but it is not treated as contemporary proof.

Provisional interpretation

The evidence supports a possible reading, but further observation, access or documentary research is needed.

Unresolved

Credible sources differ or the available evidence is insufficient. The disagreement or open question remains visible.

A date is never made more precise merely to complete a field. Absence from the website means that evidence has not yet been verified and connected to the record, not that the evidence or feature does not exist.

Editorial review and limits

Leominster Heritage is independently curated. It is not an open wiki, it is not an official statutory heritage record, and it is not a substitute for architectural, structural, archaeological, planning or legal advice. Contributions are reviewed before publication, and submission does not guarantee that a claim or image will be used.

Corrections are assessed against the existing record and supporting evidence. Significant changes should explain what changed and why. Contributors and photographers are credited according to their chosen attribution and the recorded rights position, while private contact and access details remain withheld.

See the Contribution Terms, corrections and takedown procedure and website and research disclaimer.