Human Influences

Few landscapes in the county are truly natural, although the highest ridges and summits of the Pennines have a near wilderness quality in places which owes little to human activity. Much of the landscape has been heavily influenced by man and has evolved gradually over time with each generation adding to the legacy of those who came before.

Some landscapes, like the remoter upland moors, have changed little over the last two thousand years. Others, like the settled coalfields, have been subject to enormous changes in the last two centuries. In places the landscape owes much to one particular period in its history but for the most part it has great ‘time depth’ with features surviving from many periods.

Use the timeline to find out more about the way the landscape has evolved over time and to navigate through the historical periods.

pre 70AD	70-500 AD	500-1066	1066-1540	1541-1899	1900-1999
Prehistoric	Roman	Early Medieval	Late Medieval	Post Medieval	20th Century

For further information about the historical and archaeological features of County Durham visit the Historic Environment Record.