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A textual description is used for clarification. If the alignment of an administrative boundary coincides with
any other feature (other than another boundary) then both will be shown in their respective themes. More
information on administrative boundary alignments can be found in annexe A.
Buildings
Buildings are defined as roofed constructions, usually with walls and being permanent. This includes
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permanent roofed-constructions that exceed 8.0 m in area (12.0 m in private gardens). Exceptions are
made to this area rule for smaller buildings that, due to their detached position, form relatively important
topographic features. These are shown at minimum size as stated above. With a few exceptions, for
example, by describing government offices or hypermarkets, no distinction is currently made between
residential, private, public, commercial or industrial buildings.
Physical features shown in the buildings theme:
• roofed buildings (of sufficient size or importance to be shown);
• mobile or park homes that are permanent, residential and have a postal address;
• archways and covered passageways, where the alignment can be determined from outside the building;
• horticultural glasshouses over 50 m ; and
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• covered tanks.
Features such as cooling towers, uncovered tanks, bridges and monuments are shown within the structures
theme.
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The specification for the capture of glasshouses has recently been clarified. Only glasshouses over 50 m
that serve a horticultural purpose will continue to be captured as glass structures. Other glass structures,
such as office buildings and conservatories, exist within OS MasterMap and will be recorded as buildings.
There are some non-physical features shown in the buildings theme, represented as the following text
features:
• house numbers;
• descriptive building names; and
• distinctive building names.
Heritage and antiquities
For Ordnance Survey purposes, antiquities are defined as existing artificial features of a date not later than
AD 1714 (the date of the accession of George I), together with very important sites of battlefields and natural
features connected with important historic events. Exceptionally, features and sites of a date later than
AD 1714 may be treated as antiquities if they are of national importance.
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The investigation, recording and surveying of archaeology is the responsibility of English Heritage and
Royal Commissions on Ancient and Historical Monuments (RCAHMs) for Scotland and Wales. Antiquity find
sites are not shown in OS MasterMap. Ordnance Survey has no responsibility for defining the authenticity of
distinctive or descriptive names of antiquities.
Physical features shown in the heritage and antiquities theme:
Due to the variety of real-world objects in this theme, an exhaustive list is not provided, but they do include:
• standing stones;
• earthworks;
• hill figures;
• ruined buildings;
• tombs; and
• stone circles.
Some non-physical features are shown in the heritage and antiquity theme. These include:
• textual descriptions for the real-world objects; and
• battle sites, as either text or symbol.
OS MasterMap Topography Layer user guide chapter 4 v1.12 – 03/2014 © Crown copyright Page 30 of 150