Using GIS to Investigate the Influence of the 19th Century Rural Landscape on a Modern Street Plan

Patcham Village (TQ 29992 09106 national grid reference) sits on the edge of the South Downs and is based around the 12th century All Saints Church. Originally a separate village it is now part of the city of Brighton and Hove, Sussex, England. After its incorporation into the Borough of Brighton in the late 1920s the area surrounding the village saw large scale development. Using GIS (geographic information systems) software this projects aimed to discover whether the modern street plan is based predominantly on the layout of previous fields and farm tracks. The study area is approximately 5 square kilometres and includes modern Patcham and parts of Hollingbury, Withdean and Westdene. Historic mapping was the main source of information for this project.