This code list is used in association with the Description attribute which is present within the Named Area Feature Type and Named Point Feature Type. The code list provides a detailed classification of the named feature.
Label
Definition
City
A centre of business and population, vested with City status by virtue of Royal Charter.
Hamlet
A small, compact and isolated group of rural houses. Not normally expected to have a church. Should not substantially overlap with Cities, Towns, Villages, Other Urban Areas, other Hamlets, or Other Rural Settlements.
Named Area Of Coastal Rock
A landform composed of rock, lying offshore, uninhabited, and having at most minimal vegetation, and having a distinctive name.
Named Area Of Railway Land
An area of land with a distinctive name where the land is associated with railway activities that are not covered by a more precise feature or classification.
Named Area Of Sea
An area of sea with a distinctive name that cannot be given a more refined classification.
Named Area Of Still Water
An area of permanent non-tidal water or body of water, or a collection of bodies of water, that has a distinctive name that cannot be given a more refined classification. Typically applies to lakes, llyns, and lochs.
Named Bay
An area of open water, which is largely surrounded by (and often sheltered by) land, and having a distinctive name.
Named Beach
An area of sand and / or shingle either adjacent to, or straddling, mean high water or the shore of an inland water feature, such as a river or lake, and having a distinctive name.
Named Cirque Or Hollow
A natural depression in the landscape which has a distinctive name.
Named Cliff Or Slope
The feature defining a steep rock face or steep slope, either where the land meets the sea or inland, having a distinctive name.
Named Coastal Headland
A prominent mass of land raised above the surrounding tidal water on several sides, having a distinctive name.
Named Coastal Ravine
A named deep and narrow sea-inlet cut by erosion into sea-cliffs, and with steep or vertical side-walls, and having a distinctive name. Occurs mainly in Scotland where the name contains a 'Geo' prefix.
Named Estuary
A partially enclosed area of sea at the mouth of one or more rivers that flows / flow into it, and having a distinctive name.
Named Group Of Islands
A set of islands in the sea that have a distinctive name.
Named Harbour
An area of naturally or artificially protected water on a coast where boats can anchor or moor, and having a distinctive name.
Named Hill Or Mountain
An area of land that is higher than the surrounding land, and having a distinctive name.
Named Inland Water Marsh
An area of land subject to regular and seasonal flooding with fresh water, and having a distinctive name.
Named Island
An area of land completely surrounded by water, and having a distinctive name.
Named Linear Structure
A linear structure, such as a wall, that has a distinctive name.
Named Other Coastal Landform
A named coastal landform that is not otherwise classified as Named Cliff Or Slope, Named Area Of Coastal Rock, Named Coastal Headland, Named Coastal Ravine, Named Island, or Named Valley. The name can describe the shape of a cliff (for example, Old Man's Face), a standalone feature on land (for example, Wiseman's Stone), or a steep-sided gully (for example, Chair Ladder).
Named Other Geographic Area
An area of land to which a particular distinctive name applies. The majority of features with this classification are awaiting improvement to more precise classifications.
Named Other Land Cover
An area of land cover that does not fall into any of the other classifications, for example:
A named area of land usually in close proximity to farms and other rural buildings. Usually divided up into fields (arable or pastoral), but can be mixed use land. Can include areas of either Bare Earth Or Grass, Rough Grassland or Agricultural Land as well as limited areas of other vegetation where these are less than 50%. Can also include some access land.
A named area of land that is unimproved or unfenced, predominantly rough pasture grassland and heather, for example, Moor, heath, fell. Often has steep or undulating terrain and often coincides with access land. Can contain parts that are areas of marsh, scrub, scattered trees, rock outcrops and encroaching conifer plantations.
A named area of land reclaimed by the man-made addition of drains and dykes, with drains typically laid out in a regular grid-like pattern. Occurs on flat low-lying land, such as the east coast around The Wash, the Somerset levels, The Vale of Pickering, and the Isle of Axholme.
Named Other Landform
A named distinctive localised natural or artificially constructed feature in the landscape, formed by the shape of the terrain, not otherwise classified as 'Named Valley', 'Named Cirque Or Hollow', 'Named Hill Or Mountain', or 'Named Cliff Or Slope'.
Named Range Of Hills Or Mountains
A chain of mountains or hills bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains or hills by passes or valleys, that has a distinctive name.
Named Reservoir
A body of water or a collection of bodies of water with a distinctive name that has been created or modified to facilitate the storage of water for irrigation, water supply, hydro electric power generation, industrial processes and similar.
Named Spot Height
An externally supplied location that has no OS product name but is named by the external supplier. The location is usually, but not always a summit; for example, it may represent the highest point in an administrative area. The location does not have its own name, the external supplier has taken the name from another feature, such as an island, a fort, or an area of open land.
Named Stretch Of Inland Water
An area of water not affected by normal tidal action that does not fall into a more defined category and that has a distinctive name. This includes where a named river has a section to which another name is applied.
Named Stretch Of Tidal Water
An area of water affected by normal tidal action that does not fall into a more defined category and that has a distinctive name. This includes:
where a named tidal river has a section to which another name is applied.
relatively narrow stretches of tidal water, connecting two more open bodies of water, and having a proper name.
areas of sea typically linear in nature and surrounded by land on three sides that has a proper name.
bodies of water partially enclosed by land and with a narrow mouth, affording access to the sea that has a proper name.
sea lochs, rias, and natural harbours.
Named Tidal Land Cover
An area of land subject to regular inundation with sea water the result of tidal action, and having a distinctive name.
Named Valley
A natural linear depression, following the alignment of a natural watercourse, and having a distinctive name.
Named Waterfall
A steep fall of river or stream water, where its course is markedly and suddenly interrupted, having a distinctive name.
Named Woodland Or Forest
An area of natural or semi-natural tree cover, and having a distinctive name.
Other Rural Settlement
A collection of one or more buildings or structures that share a common name. OR A small but dispersed rural settlement or a dispersed collection of rural properties with distinctive names with a shared component, for example Packer Farm, Packer Cottage, Lower Packer Farm. For small, compact rural settlements, see Hamlet.
A small agricultural holding in the highlands and islands of Scotland, having a distinctive name.
Should not substantially overlap with Cities, Towns, Villages, Other Urban Areas or Hamlets.
Other Urban Area
Within a city: An area which if located elsewhere would be classified as a Town. Outside cities: A centre of population, business or industry that is not part of another, more defined settlement such as a town or village. Usually bigger than a village and can include areas of modern housing or large named industrial or commercial areas.
Part Of Settlement
A separately named small part of another settlement
Suburban Area
A separately named, primarily residential part of a larger settlement
Town
A centre of business and population with an area in excess of 2.5 square kilometres. Some smaller places are also historically considered towns, for example, where they are market or former county towns
Village
A centre of population generally less than 2.5 square kilometres