---
title: National Trust Heritage Site, Cornwall
description: Read about a project at a National Trust Heritage Site in Cornwall, involving topographical surveys, underground utility surveys and desktop utility searches.
---

[Blog & News | Intersect Surveys](https://intersectsurveys.co.uk/blog)

# [National Trust Heritage Site, Cornwall](https://intersectsurveys.co.uk/blog/national-trust-heritage-site-cornwall)

 Written by [Alex Shiels](https://intersectsurveys.co.uk/blog/author/alex-shiels) | Aug 30, 2022, 1:09:51 PM

 

 

Topographical Survey

 

Our **Topographical Survey** captured both natural and man-made features across the survey area with high precision. This included:

- **Historic structures and buildings**, with elevations to **ridges, parapets, and eaves**, where visible from public access points.
- **Stone walls, pathways, and boundary features**—critical for conservation and landscaping works.
- **Natural terrain features** such as embankments, ditches, and gradients, with levels taken at **10m spacing** and at all visible breaks in slope.
- **Trees and vegetation**, with any tree over **150mm trunk diameter** surveyed for canopy spread, height, and location to support arboricultural planning.

Great care was taken to work **non-intrusively**, with surveyors adhering to access restrictions and preserving the integrity of sensitive areas throughout.

Underground Utility Survey

 

We conducted a **comprehensive underground utility mapping survey** within the designated site boundary using a combination of:

- **Electromagnetic Locators (EML)** for detecting live and metallic services.
- **Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)** for identifying non-metallic pipes and buried features.

Utilities were **marked on the ground** using eco-friendly paint and then transferred to the topographical base plan to produce a layered digital drawing. Due to the historical nature of the site, **records were often incomplete**, so the GPR survey was critical in locating undocumented services.

All findings were cross-verified against available statutory record information to provide a more **complete underground picture**, reducing risk for future groundwork.

 

## Desktop Record Search

To support our on-site findings, we carried out a **Desktop Utility Record Search**, collecting all known statutory utility records from relevant providers. This search:

- Included utilities such as **water, gas, electric, BT/Openreach, and fibre networks**.
- Provided a **consolidated pack** for use by planners and consultants during the feasibility and early design stages.
- Helped establish known constraints and **highlighted potential areas requiring further investigation**.

This information was especially valuable due to the **age of the site**, where undocumented infrastructure is not uncommon.

 

> *"All buildings would be shown (nearest flank walls only) with levels to ridges & eaves, subject to lines-of-sight from site & the public highway"*

## Surveying Data and Accuracy

To support our on-site findings, we carried out a **Desktop Utility Record Search**, collecting all known statutory utility records from relevant providers. This search:

- Included utilities such as **water, gas, electric, BT/Openreach, and fibre networks**.
- Provided a **consolidated pack** for use by planners and consultants during the feasibility and early design stages.
- Helped establish known constraints and **highlighted potential areas requiring further investigation**.

This information was especially valuable due to the **age of the site**, where undocumented infrastructure is not uncommon.

[View full post](https://intersectsurveys.co.uk/blog/national-trust-heritage-site-cornwall)

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