Edgelands · England & Wales
Find the in-between.
Britain's overlooked land, mapped.
A research tool for the curious. We map every registered freehold in England and Wales. The bits in between are where it gets interesting.
§ 01
What you're looking at
Edgelands shows every registered freehold polygon in England and Wales, drawn straight from HM Land Registry's INSPIRE dataset. Pan around. Zoom in. The gaps between the polygons are where your own research starts.
We don't tell you who owns the land. We don't tell you it's yours for the taking. We show you what's in the public record and what isn't. What you do next is up to you.
INSPIRE polygons over an OS Outdoor basemap.
§ 02
Three steps
- Step 01
Open the map
Pan to where you live, or somewhere you're curious about. Switch between Outdoor and Satellite views to get a feel for the terrain.
- Step 02
Look for the gaps
Coloured polygons show registered freehold land. The empty space between them is where the questions start.
- Step 03
Build a field log
Save sites you want to follow up on. Add notes, photos, a status. Track each site from "spotted" through to "researched" or "abandoned".
§ 03
What this app is, and what it isn't
Three things every prospector should know before starting.
- 01
Unregistered isn't unowned
Most unregistered land in Britain has an owner. The Crown, the Church Commissioners, ancient estates, councils, family trusts. It simply hasn't passed through the Land Registry's freehold register since registration became compulsory.
- 02
We only cover England and Wales
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own land registries. Edgelands doesn't include them yet. Leasehold titles aren't included either.
- 03
Boundaries are indicative
INSPIRE polygons aren't legal title plans. They show the approximate position of registered land. Use them to find sites worth investigating, not to settle disputes.
Could one of these gaps end up yours? Maybe, the long and patient legal way, with a solicitor in your corner. Can we help with that bit? Not a chance. We just point at the land nobody else is looking at. The wondering is the fun part.
§ 04
One plan
Full access to the map, polygon overlay, and unlimited site logging. 7-day free trial. Card required up front.
Cancel any time from your account.
No ads. No data sales. No long contracts.
§ 05
Common questions
Where does the data come from?
HM Land Registry's INSPIRE Index Polygons, released under the Open Government Licence. Updated on the first Sunday of each month.
What's missing from the map?
Leasehold titles, some Crown Estate parcels, the foreshore, most public highways, and Scotland and Northern Ireland entirely. We surface a layer in-app showing the known gaps.
Can I actually claim unregistered land using this?
Not with this, no. Edgelands finds the gaps, it doesn't hand you the keys. There is a legal route, adverse possession: twelve years of factual possession on unregistered land, an intention to possess, and no consent from any owner. It's slow, it usually fails, and most unregistered land has an owner who turns up long before year twelve. So dream about it all you like, just talk to a solicitor before you go anywhere near a fence. We map the land. The rest is between you and the law.
Why £5?
It's the price of one decent pint. It covers hosting, map tiles, and ongoing development. We'd rather charge a fair price than fund the app with ads or data sales.
Do you sell my data?
No. We store your account, your saved sites, and your notes. That's it. Nothing leaves the database.
Can I use this for serious property research?
It's a useful starting point. For anything that matters legally, pay HMLR for the actual title plan (£7 per title) and talk to a solicitor.
Why is the app called Edgelands?
The term was coined by Marion Shoard in 2002 and popularised by Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts in their 2011 book. It describes the transitional spaces between countryside and town. The marginal places. We thought it was a good fit.
What if I cancel mid-month?
You keep access until the end of your billing period, then your account goes dormant. We don't charge again. Your saved sites stay in the database for 90 days in case you change your mind.
Is there a free tier?
No. The 7-day trial is free. After that, it's £5 a month or nothing. We tried to design the trial long enough to actually use the app properly.
§ 06
About
Edgelands is built in Cornwall. We made it because we couldn't find anything else that did this well, and because the British landscape has more forgotten corners than anyone bothers to map.
The name is borrowed from Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts' book of the same title. We recommend it.
Built on HM Land Registry INSPIRE data, Ordnance Survey, MapTiler, and OpenStreetMap.
Open data · Open record