Landscape is an inter-disciplinary subject, and one to which people are critical, people both in the past and in the present, and through both their actions and their perceptions. The historic and cultural dimension is central to landscape character. Understanding it is essential to sustainable landscape management. This paper describes the work of Historic Landscape Characterisation carried out by England`s cultural heritage agency, English Heritage, to provide the knowledge to inform action. It describes particularly the impact of time, historic processes and change on landscape character, and it considers the impact that taking full notice of these issues could have on landscape perception and management. The paper argues that perceptions of landscape can change just as the environment can, and that landscape management needs to manage change to perceptions of landscape (by promotion and communication, education and dialogue) as well as managing change to the physical components of landscape.