Copse began as a project to document the open web in the manner of a printed gazette — a calm, editorial index to the sites that populate the commercial internet. The name suggests a small stand of trees: something bounded, ordered, and quietly self-contained. The directory does not aspire to catalogue everything; it aspires to catalogue things well.
Each of the 22 sections in the Copse gazette covers a distinct area of commercial or informational activity, from the modest five entries in Estates & Lettings to the 189 catalogued resources in Catalogues & Listings. The breadth reflects the open-submission model: any site owner may put forward their domain for inclusion, and editors assess each entry on its own terms before deciding whether it belongs in the register.
The gazette currently holds 829 approved entries. That figure changes as new submissions arrive and clear review. There is no target number; the register grows by merit, not by fill.
Copse charges nothing to list a site. The editorial process is a quality filter, not a gate. Sites are accepted because they are relevant and genuine, not because money has changed hands. This is the founding principle of the gazette and the condition under which it remains useful.
Visitors are welcome to browse by section, follow the links, and use the directory as they see fit. There is no registration, no account required, and no data collected from readers. The register is public, as a gazette should be.