A An Introduction to Historic
Environment Records
Contributors: Kate Fernie, Paul Gilman, Chris Martin,
Martin Newman, Carol Swanson, David Thomas.
A.1 What
are SMRs and HERs?
SMRs began life in
response to the loss of the archaeological resource through urban and rural
development. From their original remit of recording archaeological sites, they
have been developed to encompass a wide range of information about the historic
environment which has been reflected in the change of name in England and Wales
from SMR to HER. Today they provide a unique information resource, forming the
basis for sustainable conservation and playing an important role in informing
public understanding and enjoyment of the local historic environment.
The historic environment includes all aspects of our
surroundings that have been built, formed or influenced by human activities
from earliest to most recent times. An Historic Environment Record stores and
provides access to systematically organised information about these surroundings
in a given area. It is maintained and updated for public benefit in accordance
with national and international standards and guidance. An HER makes information accessible to all in order
to:
·
advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment;
·
inform its care and conservation;
·
inform public policies and decision-making on land-use
planning and management;
·
contribute to environmental improvement and economic
regeneration;
·
contribute to education and social inclusion;
·
encourage participation in the exploration, appreciation and
enjoyment of the historic environment.
The information
held in HER databases and collections thus provides a starting point for
management processes, conservation, fieldwork and research into the historic
environment and also informs local communities about their area. In turn, many of these activities generate
new information which feeds back to HER managers in the form of reports and
archives that are used to enhance the HER (Figure. 1).
Figure
1: The HER 'wheel' drives and is powered by an integrated approach to
conservation and understanding of the historic environment.
A.1.1 The information resource
HERs cover archaeological and
historical features and finds, the activities of people involved in
investigating the historic environment, sources of information about their
areas and the conservation management process.
However, in the same way that human activity varied from area to area in
the past so too does the information contained in HERs today. This is partly a reflection of variations in
past human activity and partly due to differences in the way in which
individual HERs have developed, which is expanded on later in this section.
The historic
landscape
In general, HER databases contain
information about all of the ancient and historic features and sites in both
countryside and town that make up the historic landscape. They range in date
from the earliest hominid settlement to the Cold War period. Many monuments and features survive in
visible form, and both enrich the public’s appreciation of the contemporary
landscape and contribute to tourism.
Other remains lie buried but can provide valuable enlightenment for this
and future generations. Some sites are
interpreted from place name or other evidence from maps and historic
documents. In addition to this, coastal
HERs include a wide range of sites and features reflecting the complex
interaction between man and the sea, from remains of vessels to quays and
harbours, inshore fisheries and shellfish cultivation as well as submerged
landscapes. Individual HERs vary in the
extent to which historic buildings, 20th-century structures, parks, gardens,
landscapes and finds are represented in their records, but the scope of each should
be clearly set out in a recording policy.
Fieldwork
HER databases contain information
about fieldwork carried out in their area, from the earliest antiquarian
investigations through to the present-day activities of archaeologists,
architectural recorders, surveyors, photographers and others. This information is used to set the known
sites and monuments in the area in the context of the pattern of investigation
and discovery. It can be used to
identify areas for new fieldwork - to fill
in apparent 'blanks' in the distribution of monuments - and to inform new
understanding or to suggest investigative techniques that may yield good
results. On completion of field
projects, contractors supply a summary for inclusion in the HER followed by a
report on the work. In Scotland, in
addition to submission of fieldwork reports to the SMR, summaries are provided
to the Council for Scottish Archaeology for inclusion in Discovery and
Excavation in Scotland, an annual publication. Fieldwork reports are
archived in the NMRS. Similarly in
Wales, in addition to their submission to the HER, it is usual for recent fieldwork
results to be summarised in the Council for British Archaeology, Wales annual
publication Archaeology in Wales. Since it is usually some time before the results are
published, HERs are an increasingly important source of information about these
projects In England, the development of the Online AccesS to the Index
of archaeological investigationS (OASIS)
project (See sections B.5.4, C.7.3) is enabling contractors and curators to
complete online recording forms and should facilitate supply of information
from field projects to HERs. OASIS has been introduced for use in England and
many HERs and contracting units are registered and using the system. The OASIS
pilot is being extended to Scotland in 2006-7. The
role of OASIS in Wales is as yet undecided.
Casework
A growing number of archaeological
curators are maintaining databases of their recommendations, the decisions made
by planning authorities and grant applications. In some cases, these databases are being linked to the main HER
database itself. This information is
used to track the progress of planning and other consultations within the wider
Archaeology or Historic Buildings Service.
Some HERs are beginning to record the processes involved in managing
field monuments in their databases in order to plan and monitor the impact of
changes in management regimes and repair work.
A.1.2 HER collections
The information compiled in HER
databases has been gathered from the wide range of sources that is summarised
below. HER databases can provide
catalogues of sources of information on the historic environment in their areas
and refer enquirers to both their own reference collections and to material
held in local museums, record offices and other repositories. Individual HERs
will record the collections used to compile their records in a recording policy
and create source/archive records to catalogue these collections within their
database.
Maps
Paper, film and digital copies of
Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, supplied under licence, are kept in conjunction with
the HER database. They are used to
record the locations of monuments and finds, or to show archaeological constraint
areas to highlight the potential implications of proposed development. Where paper maps are used, the map scales
are normally 1:10,000 for rural areas and 1:2,500 or 1:1,250 for urban
areas. Associated material includes map
overlays, for example cropmark plots, and copies of historic maps, such as
early editions of the OS or tithe maps.
These may be held either as paper copy or digital mapping. The use of
digital mapping and recording through GIS is increasing, and GIS standards are
one aspect which is addressed more fully in this revision of the manual (See
Section E).
Published materials
Library collections based on local
and national series of archaeological and historical society journals,
specialist publications, gazetteers, catalogues and other reference works will
normally be held within the HER office.
Unpublished
materials
These include fieldwork and other
reports, dissertations, statutory protection documentation (for example
scheduling notifications), notes and sometimes correspondence. Reports arise from archaeological work
undertaken as part of development control or from planned research objectives,
such as field survey or excavation of a particular class of monument. These reports may be held either as paper
copy or digitally (or both).
Photographic materials
Colour or black and white
photographs and slides, digital photographs and videos may be kept by the
HER. These derive from fieldwork, such
as excavation, survey or planned site visits; or from the recording of finds in
archaeological units, museums or specialist laboratories. This material will originate from both the
host organisation and also from other organisations and private individuals who
will retain title to its copyright.
HERs are also recommended to maintain a collection of colour slides of
illustrative materials for lecture and presentation purposes.
Aerial photography and air-photographic
transcriptions
Colour or black
and white, vertical and oblique aerial-photographic prints, negatives and
slides are all kept by HERs. Sources of
photography include the National Monuments Records for England (NMRE), Scotland
(NMRS), and Wales (NMRW), the Cambridge University Committee on Aerial
Photography (now Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs (CUCAP),
the Ordnance Survey (OS), the Royal Air Force (RAF) and regionally based
individuals, including some HERs, taking aerial photographs of archaeological
sites. Associated materials include
flight traces and indexes.
Air-photographic transcriptions may also be held on film, paper and
digital map form. HERs hold copies of
prints whose copyright (and often the original negative or slide) is retained
by the photographer or commissioning organisation.
Digital archives
These include floppy disks, CDs and
DVDs, and other media holding digital data in formats which may include:
databases, text files, image files, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and
Computer Aided Design (CAD) files, geophysical survey files. HERs may acquire this material from
contractors following fieldwork and also create digital archive, through
programmes of database and GIS compilation, data capture and scanning of
slides, photographs or paper documents.
A.1.3 Informing services
Strategic and
local plans
HERs are used to help in the framing
of strategic and local policies for conserving the historic environment. They are consulted to help determine the
allocation of areas for development, although it is important to recognise that
an apparent lack of archaeological
features on an HER might reflect lack of fieldwork rather than absence of
sites.
Planning and
development control
HERs play a key role in providing
the information base for recommendations made by archaeological 'curators' in
response to planning applications and other proposals. The scale of HER input will vary with the
size of particular schemes: major infrastructure projects such as road and rail
schemes require considerable numbers of records to be trawled and
analysed. HERs are key sources of
information for desktop assessments and provide background information used by
archaeological contractors in the design of field projects. The results from
developer-instigated fieldwork projects are then fed back into the HER.
Managing monuments
in the landscape
This is one area in which the
information held in HER is becoming increasingly used proactively, for example
as it has been recently in England in the the selection of monuments for
consideration in English Heritage's Monuments Protection Programme (MPP). HERs
formed a major source of information for the Monuments at Risk Survey (MARS)
into the condition of field monuments in England (Darvill and Fulton 1998).
HERs also form the basis for the selection of sites where improved
management regimes or repair work would be beneficial. Whilst there has been no
programme comparable to MPP in Scotland, Historic Scotland has in the past
funded SMRs to compile Non-Statutory Registers of Monuments of Schedulable
Quality. Under the terms of the Scottish planning guidance these are to be regarded as equivalent to scheduled sites in
their treatment in development plans and the development control process.
Non-Statutory Registers have been completed for most of Scotland. In Wales, Cadw sponsor a number of annual pan-Wales thematic
surveys aimed at assessing the schedule of ancient monuments, making
recommendations for new scheduling and identifying other monument and landscape
management issues.
HERs in England have been a source of information for the
Countryside Stewardship Scheme, a grant scheme which was first pilotted in
1991. It aims included the conservation of archaeological sites and historic features, by adapting
land management practices. This scheme is now being replaced by a new agri-environment
sceme, Environmental Stewardship, with two tiers – the Entry
Level Scheme (ELS) and the Higher Level Scheme (HLS). HERs supply information
on the archaeology of the area, together with recommendations as to the optimum
method of land management. English Heritage is helping local authorities to
employ Countryside Archaeological Advisors, whose role is to extract
information from the HER and advise farmers and landowners on land management.
SMRs have been used in Scotland since 1997 as a source of archaeological information in connection with agri-environment grant application schemes, initially the Countryside Premium Scheme superseded in 2000 by the Rural Stewardship Scheme. Chargeable desk based archaeological audits are supplied by the Scottish SMRs for inclusion in farm conservation plans required as part of grant applications.
Since
1999 Tir Gofal, the all Wales agri-environment scheme, has promoted the
conservation and sympathetic management of individual monuments and the wider
historic landscape through the introduction of whole-farm management plans tied
to annual payments. The historic
environment of each farm entering the scheme is assessed, using information in
the HER and targeted field visits, and specific management recommendations
produced for indivudual monuments and the historic landscape in general. In addition to advice on the management of
individual features the scheme also funds landowners to undertake a range of
captial works to improve the condition of archaeological monuments and historic
buildings.
Education and
presentation of sites to the public
Alongside their
role in informing the planning and management process, HERs make a contribution
to education through the use of their information and resources by schools,
universities and the general public.
HERs provide information for use on display panels at monuments and also
for booklets, guides and trails aimed at a 'popular' audience.
A.2 How
and why did SMRs and HERs develop?
Systematic records of archaeological
and historic monuments began to be created in 1908 when the Royal Commissions (RCHME,
RCAHMS, RCAHMW) were set up and instructed to
make an inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of their respective
countries. For example, the warrant for the RCHME required the Commission 'to
make an inventory of the Ancient Monuments and Constructions connected with or
illustrative of the contemporary culture, civilisation and conditions of life
of the people in England covering the period from the
earliest time to the year 1700’. The remit also included identification
of ‘those which seem most worthy of preservation’ (RCHME 1992). In Scotland the cut-off date was initially set at 1707, the date of the union of the English and
Scottish parliaments.
In fact, the OS had been depicting
antiquities on maps since 1791. From
the 1920s, its Archaeology Division developed a card-index system and a network
of local correspondents provided this with information. Local records of field monuments and finds,
often based on information collected by these correspondents, began to be
developed by many museums.
During the 1960s there was a growing
awareness of the rate at which archaeological sites were being damaged or
destroyed and a need for the information amassed by the Royal Commissions and
the OS to be available to the local-authority planning svstem. The Committee of Enquiry into the
Arrangements for the Protection of Field Monuments (the 'Walsh' Committee,
which covered England, Wales and
Scotland) recommended the strengthening of existing legislation for the
protection of ancient monuments, and concluded that the local-authority system
could in future play a vital part in identifying and moderating threats to the
historic landscape. It recommended that
county planning authorities maintain a record of field monuments and that
county councils should consider appointing archaeological officers to provide
professional archaeological assistance (Walsh 1969). Following publication of the Walsh report, national networks of
archaeological officers and SMRs began to emerge in England and Wales in the
1970s. Oxfordshire is generally
credited with establishing the first SMR (Benson 1974). Similarly
in 1974-75, SMRs were established in the four newly formed Welsh Archaeological
Trusts thereby providing a national coverage across Wales.
In Scotland the Society of
Antiquaries of Scotland produced a document in 1974 entitled “Archaeology
and Local Government” in advance of the re-organisation of Scottish local
government in 1975. The first local authority appointment was in Stirling
County Council in 1974, before transfer to Central Regional Council in 1975,
and the first direct appointment to a Regional Council was at Grampian Regional
Council shortly thereafter.
In 1983 the OS's Archaeology
Division was transferred to the Royal Commissions. The OS card index became
part of the national archaeological records in the three national areas. The card index provided an essential source
of information, which was used to establish many local SMRs.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the
respective government departments, Royal Commissions and national agencies were
concerned with the structure, content and development of local SMRs. In
England, English Heritage (and earlier the Department of the Environment (DoE))
and the RCHME) supported enhancement projects and initial computerisation based
on the AN32 recording form for scheduled monuments and the 'Superfile' database
program. In 1989 the RCHME was given
the lead role in respect of SMRs (continued by EH following merger) and
subsequently supported fieldwork and recording projects in SMRs, and the
development of data and recording standards (such as RCHME 1993). During the 1990s the RCHME assisted in the
development of software for SMRs. This
culminated in the launch in 1998 of an SMR software package (Historic
Buildings, Sites and Monuments Records (HBSMR)) jointly developed with the
ALGAO and exeGesIS SDM Ltd.
In Scotland equivalent roles were
played by the Scottish Development Department’s Historic Buildings and
Monuments Division, later Historic Scotland, and the RCAHMS. Currently
Historic Scotland helps fund SMR development and the RCAHMS provides technical
assistance. The
Scottish bodies have not led software development for SMRs, but instead
concentrated their efforts on trying to extend the geographical coverage of the
Scottish SMRs by provision of pump-priming grants, firstly from the RCAHMS and
later Historic Scotland, with the RCAHMS providing basic data from the national
record. Now that the geographic coverage of SMRs in Scotland is
almost complete, the focus of attention of both the national bodies and the
local SMRs has switched to securing a national strategy for SMR development
through the auspices of the Scottish SMR Forum. In Scotland
SMRs have not yet achieved comprehensive recording of the archaeological
potential of the country. Fieldwork and research results in significant SMR
enhancement through new discoveries each year for large areas of Scotland,
particularly in the upland zone.
In Wales the four HERs are owned and managed by the Welsh
Archaeological Trusts (WATs) and thereby provide a uniform coverage across the
whole country. From 1980 the original paper records underwent computerization,
and considerable enhancement, although here the process was led by individual
Trusts, following the ‘Oxford model’ and using a variety of software and
hardware, with funding and support from various private initiatives and
government agencies (such as job creation and employment training
schemes). Latterly Cadw, and since 1989
RCAHMW under the oversight role for local HERs identified in its Royal Warrant,
have taken a more formal role in Welsh HERs, with initiatives now coming from
the Extended National Database for Wales partnership and the Strategic
Framework for Historic Environment Records in Wales working group.
The WATs are independent charitable trusts, part funded by
the Welsh Assembly Government to provide regional archaeological services. Some
additional financial support is provided by a number of the local authorities.
The Royal Commission for Ancient and Historic Monuments in Wales provides task
specific grant aid for maintaining and enhancing the HERs, while funding to
support public enquiries is provided by Cadw.
Following the publication of This Common Inheritance (DoE 1990b), government
planning guidance was issued in the
national areas. The DoE's Planning Policy
Guidance Note 16: Archaeology and Planning (PPG16) appeared in 1990 (DOE
1990a), for England, in 1991 (Welsh Office 1991) for Wales and for Scotland
National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 5 (SDD 1994a) and Planning Advice
Note (PAN) 42 in 1994 (SDD 1994b).
These recognised the importance of archaeological sites and emphasised
both that archaeology is a material consideration in making planning decisions
and the key role of SMRs in providing information for decision-making. Following the publication of the planning
guidance, the 1990s saw a significant rise in the number of archaeological
projects carried out in response to development proposals. This increased both the amount of
information entering SMRs and the demand for that information from users. These changes sometimes gave rise to
backlogs as SMR staff fulfilled the dual roles of planning advisor and also SMR
manager. Another consequence of the
planning guidance was competitive tendering for archaeological projects and it
is now normal for a number of archaeological contractors (whether local
authority units or independent companies) to compete for work in any area. This has emphasised the importance of SMRs
as a central access point for information.
The introduction in England of Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG 15)
in 1994 (DoE 1994a) extended the PPG 16 approach to the historic environment as
a whole. Welsh
Office Circular 61/96 Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and
Conservation Areas, introduced
in 1996 in Wales as an equivalent to PPG15 and ammended under circular 1/98
(Welsh Office 1996c and 1998), takes a less holistic approach but covers
roughly the same themes and areas.
However, the early intergation of historic buildings into Welsh SMRs has
helped to promote the ‘PPG16 approach’ to planning matters in the historic
environment. The
generally equivalent document for Scotland, National Planning Policy Guideline
(NPPG) 18 (SDD 1999) Planning and the Historic Environment, is not as detailed,
but is accompanied by the Memorandum of
Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. In some authorities in
England, this prompted the development of integrated record systems containing
information including both historic buildings and archaeology. The move to
integrated databases has been slower in Scotland with only one or two SMRs to
date classifying themselves as Historic
Environment Records.
Until the mid-1990s in England most
SMRs were operated by county councils or, in the former metropolitan counties,
were jointly funded by district councils. In Scotland they were operated by the
Regional Councils, in one region with
joint funding from the district councils after 1994. This pattern changed after local government reorganisation
following Local Government Acts, of 1992 for England and 1994 for Scotland.
This resulted in England in the creation of a number of unitary authorities, mainly
in urban areas with high population densities, with the two-tier system of
county and district councils continuing elsewhere, and in Scotland in a system
of unitary authorities. Some of the new
unitary authorities have chosen to establish their own archaeological services
and SMRs, whilst others have contracted out archaeological services under a
joint arrangement, often with a neighbouring county council, under the terms of
service-level agreements. In Scotland there
are several joint arrangements and three unitary authorities buy in a service from a local
heritage or amenity trust.
The Welsh SMRs, being operated by the WATs and therefore
outside local authorities, have kept the same geographical boundaries since
their inception in the 1970s. Originally
concieved to cover the then newly created counties of 1974 the SMRs have
continued to provided services to sucessive county, district and, since 1996 unitary
authorites, under partnership arrangements and with each authority adopting the
relevant SMR by formal resolution. Dislocation due to local government
re-organisation has therefore been largely avoided in Wales.
In the 1990s a joint English
Heritage-RCHME initiative created a series of Urban Archaeological Databases (UADs) in England. Some are effectively
HERs for major historic towns, for example Chester; others are the enhancement of part of an existing HER such as
Northampton. There is no such equivalent in Scotland but since 1977 Historic Scotland has funded the production
of the Burgh Survey series which summarises the historical and archaeological
evidence for Scotland’s medieval burghs. These
are available to the Scottish SMRs but practice differs in respect of the
incorporation of relevant data into the SMRs. There has been no systematic
incorporation of the Burgh Survey information into the relevant SMR.
In 1999 the RCHME and English
Heritage were merged to create a single organisation, English Heritage,
concerned with the recording, protection and management of the historic
environment in England. As the
Government's statutory advisor on heritage conservation, archaeology and the
management of the historic environment, English Heritage remains concerned with
the effective application of HERs to heritage management at both local and national
levels and has continued the former RCHME’s lead role. Its NMR continues to work to support
inter-interoperability between local and national heritage information records.
This has not been paralleled by
similar mergers in Wales or Scotland. In Scotland, Historic Scotland and the
RCAHMS remain separate bodies. Historic Scotland provides some SMR support
grant and relies on the RCAHMS for technical advice in this respect. To
facilitate co-ordination of SMR development, a Scottish SMR Forum, comprising
Historic Scotland, the RCAHMS, the Scottish SMRs, and the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), was formed in 2000. The Forum has produced
an unpublished report of the Operational Roles of SMRs and published a
Co-Operation statement between Scottish SMRs and the RCAHMS (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/RCAHMS_smr.doc). Within
the Scottish SMR Forum, the SMR Technical Working Group discusses information
related issues. At the end of 2004 the SMR Forum participants agreed in
principle to work together to incorporate online SMR data into Pastmap (http://www.pastmap.org) which currently
provides access via the internet to GIS data on scheduled ancient monuments,
listed buildings, the records of the NMRS (Canmore), and Historic Gardens and
Designed Landscapes provided by Scottish Natural Heritage. SMR information
began to be incorporated in Pastmap from late 2005 with more SMRs due to add
their data in due course.
In February 2000 English Heritage
was asked by the Government - jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport (DCMS) and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the
Regions (DETR) - to co-ordinate an
important and wide-ranging review of all policies relating to the historic
environment. This was published as Power
of Place: The future of the historic environment (English Heritage 2000). In
its response, The Historic Environment: A
Force for Our Future (DCMS 2001), the Government commited itself to holding
a consultation on the future of HERs. This was carried out in 2003 and included
a draft two-stage benchmarking standard Historic
Environment Records: Benchmarks for Good Practice (Chitty 2002). The
results were published together with the findings of the Heritage Protection
Review as Review of Heritage Protection:
The Way Forward (DCMS 2004). The results showed support for statutory
status and standards. In parallel English Heritage commissioned a report
assessing the resources required to bring all the HERs in England up to the 1st
stage benchmark (Baker, Chitty and Edwards 2004).
There has been no equivalent support for
statutory status for SMRs from the Scottish Executive, but the issue of
standards is being covered by the Scottish SMR Forum and a report, which will
set out digital standards for data submission to SMRs by archaeological
contractors, has been prepared with the assistance of grant aid from Historic
Scotland and is available via the internet (ASPIRE – http://www.aspire-resource.info ).
The
Welsh Assembly Government, through Cadw, has encouraged the Welsh
Archaeological Trusts to secure the HERs as publicly accessible records should
any Trust cease to operate. Alongside this Cadw, through the Strategic
Framework for Historic Environment Records in Wales, has recognised the HER Benchmarks for Good Practice (Chitty
2002) and funding for the HERs from the RCAHMW is currently being targeted to
enable Welsh HERs in the first instance to achieve the stage one benchmarks.
Despite this there has been no statement from the Welsh Assembly Government in
support of statutory status of HERs.
The development of SMRs and HERs is
more fully described elsewhere (for example in Baker 1999a, 1999b, Benson 1974,
Burrow 1984, Gilman 1996 and 2004, RCHME 1993. Hunter and Ralston 1993 and 2006,
and Robinson 2000).
A.3 Who
manages HERs?
Local authorities and most National
Park authorities maintain records of the archaeological, built and natural
environment. Specialist staff are employed to curate these records and also to
provide specialist advice for land-use planning and public information
services. Some major landowners, such
as the National Trust and the Ministry of Defence, also maintain similar
records, which are used to manage their landholdings for conservation, but not for development control purposes.
A.3.1 Local government
tiers
HERs and Listed Buildings Records
may be maintained by county councils, unitary authorities or district councils,
or by Trusts under service-level agreements on their behalf. Where based
within local authorities HERs are normally
managed by the highest tier in local government, the county or unitary
authority, although some districts have elected to manage their own HER. For economies of scale other authorities may
choose joint arrangements to provide the recommended services (by buying in service from a neighbouring authority or trust,
or combining resources to fund a joint service).
Some Scottish SMRs are maintained by organisations separate from local
authorities, for example in Orkney and Perth and Kinross . In Wales unitary authorities utilise the regional HERs of
the Welsh Archaeological Trusts, and in some instances operate their own record
systems using WAT HER data. Local authority historic environment services
obtained from the WATs are effectively supported directly with Welsh Assembly
Government funding.
A.3.2 Local government departments
Where they are held directly within
local authorities, HERs often form part of the
Planning, Environment and Economic Development Department or Directorate. Although the name of the grouping varies
from authority to authority, the HER normally sits alongside records for listed
buildings, ecology, rights of way and other aspects of countryside
management. There is a growing tendency
for these records, particularly in
England and Wales, to be combined to form integrated databases for the historic
environment; examples include the Essex Historic Environment Record and the
Staffordshire Environmental Planning Unit. Whilst this is also happening to
some extent in Scotland there are structural barriers in some areas to the
creation of HERs because of the nature of the arrangement for SMR and advice
provision.
In some authorities, rather than
being part of a planning department, the HER may form part of the Libraries,
Museums and Leisure Services Directorate.
This departmental location has enabled these HERs to develop their
public-information-service and education role more actively than those based
within planning services. However, they
may be less well placed to develop links with other environmental information
systems.
All HERs should have qualified
professional staff (Benchmark 4.5).
HERs normally form part of a wider service for archaeology or the
historic environment. These services
vary in size considerably from one authority to another according to the extent
of the area covered, resources available and whether.or not fieldworkers and historic
buildings advisors are included within the service as well as planning advisors
and HER staff. In recognition of this variation, this manual will refer to
roles and responsibilities that require a staff resource within the service
rather than to actual posts.
Traditionally an HER officer has
served two key roles, as an information manager responsible for developing the
record and providing information services, and in a planning context providing
information and advice for assessment of the implications of development
proposals. In recent years use of the record for pro-active management of the
historic environment, though input to policy and initiatives such as MPP and
agri-environment schemes has gained greater prominence. Additionally, HERs are increasingly being
developed for greater public benefit through programmes of outreach and
promoting use of the records for research and education at all levels. All of
these roles need a clear allocation of time and resources. In particular, it is essential to ring-fence
time to maintain and develop the HER information system against the pressures
of responding to planning casework and other enquiries. Many HERs consider that separate posts are
required to cover these roles, with the larger HERs having several posts with
both an HER manager and HER assistants, sometimes with specific roles such as
Outreach Officer.
A.4 National heritage legislative
and policy framework
HERs operate within a complex
framework of legislation and government policy guidance, which together provide
for the protection and management of the historic environment and its
presentation to the public. A summary of key legislation is give in Panel 1.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, is a UK-wide Act,
although part II relating to archaeological areas was never introduced in Wales
or Scotland. Other legislation is more nation-specific. (see Panel 1).
·
In
England English Heritage is responsible for the scheduling of monuments and the
listing of historic buildings on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture
Media and Sport in accordance with the primary legislation The listing of
buildings was transferred to English Heritage from the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport (DCMS) in April 2005. Other changes will be introduced as a
result of the Government’s consultation The
Review of Heritage Protection: The Way Forward (DCMS 2004).
·
In
Scotland where there is devolved government, culture is a devolved matter and
Scottish Ministers are responsible for scheduling and listing. Historic
Scotland, an agency of the Scottish Executive, advises Scottish Ministers on
conservation matters. Scottish Ministers also receive advice from the Historic
Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS), formed following the abolition
of the Ancient Monument Board for Scotland and the Historic Building Council
for Scotland in 2003 under the Public Bodies Act 2003.
·
In Wales
responsibility for the heritage is devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government
(WAG) who are responsible for scheduling and listing. Cadw, an executive agency within the WAG, are responsible for
advising Welsh Ministers on such matters and for the day to day operation of
heritage legislation.
World Heritage
Sites
The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage
Convention provides for the identification, protection and presentation of
cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value. Currently. there are 23 sites in Britain (16
in England, 4 in Scotland, 2 in Wales and 1 in Northern Ireland). The Antonine
Wall in Scotland is to be proposed for nomination as part of a distributed
single trans-national World Heritage Site (the Frontiers of the Roman Empire)
to include Hadrian’s Wall. Although
there is no special legislation, impact on a World Heritage Site is a material
consideration in the planning process as set out in planning guidance (PPG15
(England), Planning Policy Wales (Wales)
and NPPG 18 (Scotland)).
Scheduled
monuments
Central government (DCMS in England,
Historic Scotland in Scotland, Welsh Assembly Government in Wales) has sole
responsibility for enforcing legislation on scheduled monuments. With the exception of works defined in the
Ancient Monuments (Class Consents) Order 1994, scheduled-monument consent must
be granted by the relevant Ministers in the national countries for all works, including archaeological
excavations.
Listed buildings
Local planning authorities are
responsible for granting and refusing consent to alter or demolish a listed
building in consultation with the relevant national agencies and the statutory
amenity societies. There is a right of
appeal to the relevant Ministers advised by the respective national agencies body (English Heritage,
Historic Scotland, Cadw). For England, English Heritage also maintains a Register
of Buildings at Risk (grades I, II* and structural scheduled moments). In
Scotland a similar register is maintained by the Scottish Civic Trust on behalf
of Historic Scotland which fully funds the programme (see www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk). Some
local authorities also maintain a list of locally important buildings which
will be taken into account in the planning process.
Conservation areas
Local planning authorities
are responsible for granting conservation-area consent for new developments and
the demolition of any building within conservation areas.
Protected wrecks
The DCMS is responsible under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 for the protection of wrecks, issuing licences for survey or
excavation and for enforcing legislation
in England. Historic Scotland (Scotland), Cadw (Wales) and DoENI (Northern
Ireland) are responsible within their respective territories.
At the beginning of 2005, there were fifty-seven designated wreck sites
in UK waters (Figure 2) In Scotland
Shetland Council holds a lease of an area of the seabed which covers c 15
wrecks.
Registered parks,
gardens and battlefields
English Heritage has assembled a Register
of Parks and Gardens of special historic interest and another for historic
battlefields in England. These
registers are used to alert owners and others to the significance of an area of
land. Although no additional statutory
controls are available, planning authorities are recommended to take account of
these sites in preparing development plans (DoE 1994a). Parks and gardens registers exist under similar
circumstances in Wales. Since 1998 Registers of Landscapes of Outstanding and
Special Historic Interest have been published for Wales, and while these are
also non-statutory, planning authorites are advised to take account of
registered historic landscapes when preparing development plans and under
certain circumstances when considering planning permissions. No battlefields register exists for
Wales. In Scotland there is an Inventory of Historic Gardens
and Designed Landscapes. Consultation must take place with Historic Scotland in respect of any planning
applications affecting an Inventory site under The Town and Country Planning
(General Development Procedure Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992.
There is no battlefield register for Scotland, although Historic Scotland has commissioned pilot research
to produce an informal list.
Portable heritage
Portable objects are covered by
various protection measures. The
Treasure Act 1996 (applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) which came
into effect in September 1997 defines 4 categories of treasure. A revised code
of practice was issued in 2002. Objects covered by the Act must be reported
to local coroners, and to encourage the reporting of objects classed as
treasure, the market value of the find is paid to finders or landowners. Finders of metal objects not considered
treasure and other archaeological objects from non-scheduled sites are
encouraged to report their finds under a voluntary scheme, the Portable
Antiquities Scheme. This has established
a national network of Finds Liaision Officers (FLOs) in England and Wales,
based in museums or HERs (www.finds.org.uk).
FLOs provide a point of contact for finders in each area, as well as liaising
with metal detectorists and HERs.
Objects that are fixed to listed buildings are also protected under the
legislation for listed buildings. English Heritage has publshed guidance on
portable antiquities in relation to its own sites, funded projects and
scheduled monuments Our Portable Past (English
Heritage 2006).
Scotland is subject to separate
Treasure Trove law which differs significantly from that obtaining in England
and Wales. It encompasses two categories of material, Treasure Trove (sensu stricto) which is restricted to
precious items and associated objects which have been concealed; and bona vacantia which covers all objects
(made of any material) whose original owner or rightful heir cannot be traced,
irrespective of the circumstances of deposition. All such finds must be reported to the Crown Office, although if
the Crown exercises its rights to ownership and claims an object, the finder is
normally eligible for a reward equivalent to its market value. Claimed finds
are allocated to an appropriate museum. Unclaimed finds are returned to the
finder.
Figure 2: Designated wreck sites (March
2007)
Ecclesiastical
buildings
Churches and other religious
buildings may be listed but alterations or building works may also be
controlled by special codes of practice.
For example, the Church of England and the Church in Wales require the
issuing of a Faculty by the Chancellor of the Diocese for alterations to a
church, churchyard or church furnishings.
Advice to the diocese is given by diocesan archaeologists who are
normally in contact with their local HERs. DAC advisors are sometimes a member
of staff within a local authority historic environment service. Other denominations have similar schemes. In Scotland internal alterations to listed churches are
exempt from the need to obtain listed building consent, although external
alterations still require consent. The Church of Scotland refers decisions
about internal alterations to its Committee of Artistic Matters, the Scottish
Episcopal Church refers internal alterations to its Diocesan Advisory
Committee, and internal alterations to Catholic churches are the responsibility
of individual priests. Many Scottish churches were built after the Reformation
on new sites, off the sites of the pre-Reformation churches and cemeteries.
Most pre-Reformation cemeteries are maintained by the local authorities, but the law is complex regarding ownership
of these cemeteries. Some of the pre-Reformation church and cemetery sites are
scheduled ancient monuments.
Heritage
Protection Review
In England and Wales changes are
anticipated following the Government’s consultation The Review of Heritage
Protection: The Way Forward (DCMS 2004) and Protection of historical
assets in Wales: a consultation paper (National Assembly for Wales: Welsh
Assembly Government 2003). This included
proposals for a unified list combining listed buildings, scheduled monuments,
registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields and for devolving consent
procedures to local authorities.
|
Panel 1: The
national legislative and policy framework for HERs Primary
legislation Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979: [Applies to UK (although
Part II pertaining to archaeological areas was never introduced in Wales or
Scotland)]. Consolidates earlier legislation on the definition and
protection of scheduled monuments and
authorisation of works affecting scheduled monuments. Also provides for
rescue excavation in designated areas of archaeological importance. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990:
[England and Wales] Covers the designation of listed buildings and
conservation areas and the authorisation of works by local planning
authorities. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Scotland Act 1970: [Scotland] Covers the designation of buildings of special architectural or historic
interest ‘with a view to the guidance of planning authorities in the
performance of their functions under this Act’. Protection
of Military Remains Act 1986: [UK] Requires a licence to be obtained to
disturb the remains of crashed military aircraft Protection of Wrecks Act 1973: [UK] covers the
designation and protection of wrecks of historical, archaeological or
artistic importance in UK territorial waters. Section 2 covers dangerous
cargoes. National Heritage
Act 1983, 2002: [England] The 1983 Act established the Historic Buildings and
Monuments Commission (known as English Heritage) and delegated the functions
of scheduling of ancient monuments and listing of historic buildings. The National Heritage Act 2002, took effect on 1 July
2002, and broadens the powers of English Heritage in two ways. It allows
English Heritage to become involved in underwater archaeology in English
territorial water and to trade in overseas countries. ·
Historic
Scotland was created as an agency in 1991 and was attached to the Scottish
Executive Education Department, which embraces all aspects of the cultural
heritage, in May 1999. ·
Cadw, created in 1984, is the agency with the complete
range of responsibilities for the conservation, presentation, and promotion
of the built heritage of Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government. It
is a part of the Welsh Assembly Government and hence part of the devolved
powers of the government of the principality. Town and Country Planning Act 1990: [England and Wales] The principal instrument of
town and country planning law, setting out the requirement for local
authorities to prepare development plans. Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997: [Scotland] The principal instrument of town and country planning law,
setting out the requirement for local authorities to prepare development
plans. To be extended by the Planning (Scotland) Act in 2007 (passed by the
Scottish Parliament in 2006). Treasure Act 1996: [England and Wales]: Replaced the
common law of treasure trove and defines treasure and the reporting
procedures. It introduced the voluntary recording of archaeological finds not
defined as treasure. The Act does not apply to
Scotland. Under the regalia minora common law rights of the Crown in Scotland, it
is the prerogative of the Crown to receive all lost and abandoned property
which is not otherwise owned. There is a narrow definition of treasure trove
per se, involving precious items which have lain concealed, but in practice
this is overridden by and subsumed within the wider legal concept of bona
vacantia (or ownerless goods). The
Crown Office in Scotland has the duty, overseen by the Scottish Executive, to
claim bona vacantia on
behalf of the nation. Merchant Shipping Act 1995:
[UK] Replaced earlier legislation and covers the reporting and ownership of
salvage from wrecks. Statutory
Instruments Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995: [England and Wales] Defines a site of
archaeological interest as a site registered in an SMR adopted by a local
authority. Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992: Defines a site of archaeological interest as a site which has been
included in a Sites and Monuments Record held by any local authority before
the coming into force of this Order; Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas)
Order 1994:
[England and Wales] Exempts buildings in use for religious purposes by
specific denominations from the local authority planning process where
acceptable procedures for controlling works are in place. Ancient
Monuments (Class Consents) Order 1994: [ UK] and Ancient Monuments (Class Consents)
(Scotland) Order 1996: Permit
specific works to scheduled monuments. Hedgerow Regulations 1997: [England and Wales] Aims to control the removal
of important hedgerows through a system of prior notification. This
specifically mentions hedgrows included in the local SMR. England:
Planning guidance issued by the DCLG (formerly ODPM, formerly DETR, formerly
DoE) PPG 9, 1994: [England] Guidance on nature
conservation and land use planning. PPG 12, 1992: [England] Covers the preparation of development
plans by local authorities including the role of environmental assessments in
plan preparation. PPG 15, 1994: [England] Explains the role of the planning
system in the protection of historic buildings, conservation areas and other
elements of the historic environment. PPG 16, 1990: [England] Advises on assessing the
archaeological implications of development and early consultation with SMRs
in assessing the impact of planning applications. PPG 20, 1993: [England] Sets out policy for coastal areas and
gives guidance on the Heritage Coast. Scotland:
planning guidance issued by the Scottish Executive SPP1, 2002: [Scotland]: Sets out the key principles and the Executive’s priorities
for the system to guide policy formulation and decision making towards the
goal of sustainable development. NPPG 18, 1999: [Scotland]: Accompanied by
Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas, deals
primarily with listed buildings, conservation areas, World Heritage Sites,
historic gardens, designed landscapes and their settings. Explains the role of the planning system in the protection
of historic buildings, conservation areas and other elements of the historic
environment. NPPG 5, 1994: [Scotland]
Sets out the Government’s planning policy on how archaeological
remains and discoveries should be handled within the development plan and
development control systems. Advises on assessing the
archaeological implications of development and early consultation with SMRs
in assessing the impact of planning applications. PAN 42, 1994: Supports NPPG 5. It includes advice on the handling of archaeological
matters within the planning process and on the separate controls over
scheduled monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act
1979. Wales: planning guidance issued by the Welsh Assembly Government (formerly
The Welsh Office) ‘Planning Policy Wales’, March 2002: [Wales] provides the strategic policy framework for the
effective preparation of local planning authorities’ development plans.
(Chapter 6 relates to the historic environment encompassing UDPs,
Conservation Areas, development control, World Heritage Sites and historic
parks and gardens). This is supplemented by 20 topic based Technical
Advice Notes (Wales) needs password access (TANs). Procedural guidance is
given in Welsh Office / National Assembly for Wales circulars. Welsh Office Circular 61/96: Planning and
the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas as
amended by Welsh Office Circular 1/98, Planning and the
Historic Environment: Directions by the Secretary of State for Wales Sets out the latest available policy guidance which
relates to the built heritage. Welsh Office Circular 60/96: Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology: Provides advice on the handling of
archaeological matters within the planning system. It supplements guidance in
Planning Guidance (Wales): Planning Policy 1996 and Planning Policy Wales
2002. Voluntary
Codes of Practice Code of Practice for Seabed Developers: Joint Nautical Archaeology
Policy Committee, 1995: [UK] Encourages seabed developers to seek advice
on maritime archaeological potential in line with overall assessment of a
development’s environmental impact. Code of Practice for Treasure Act, DCMS, 1996: [England and Wales] A voluntary programme to record
archaeological objects not covered by the provisions of the Treasure Act. |
A.5 Local authorities and
planning
One of the reasons why local
authorities maintain records of the archaeological, built and natural
environment is to regulate development and the use of land and to protect and
enhance the environment of their local area.
The implications of development proposals on the historic environment
are assessed against the HER and specialist advice is given to development
control officers within the local planning authority.
Structure, local and unitary
development plans are the main way that local authorities make sure that their
conservation policies are integrated with other planning policies. Archaeology, buildings and natural environment
information services should be consulted during the preparation of plans in
line with PPG 12 (DoE 1992a) and Planning Policy Wales (see Panel 1). In Scotland SPP1
(Scottish Executive 2002) states that one of the primary objectives of the
planning system is “to maintain and enhance the quality of
the natural heritage and built environment” (para.4), that planning should
encourage sustainable development by conserving important historic and cultural
assets (para. 7), and that the National
Planning Policy Guidelines are a material consideration in development control (para. 51) – archaeology is covered by NPPG 5, whilst NPPG 18 covers the
Historic Environment. In
particular, development plans should make reference to the existence of the HER
and both Local Plans and Unitary Development Plans should state that the HER
will be used in the assessment of development proposals. English Heritage has published guidance on
conservation policies in both strategic and local plans in England (English
Heritage 1993). No equivalent existed in Scotland at the time of writing.
In September 2004, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act
came into force. This requires Local Planning Authorities in England and Wales
to have a Local Development Framework in place by Spring 2007. These will
replace the existing system of Unitary Development Plans, Local Plans and
Structure Plans. A Guide for
Heritage Groups on Local Development Frameworks is available on the Heritage Link web site. In Wales
Local Planning Authorities will be required to prepare and maintain up to date
development plans which are to be called local development plans (Planning: Delivering for Wales – Initial
Guidance Note on Implications For Development Plans In Wales of The Planning
And Compulsory Purchase Act (Revised Version October 2004) (National
Assembly for Wales: Welsh Assembly Government 2004)).
Other plans and
strategies
Local authorities also issue other
plans, strategies and planning guidance, for example estuary management plans,
minerals and waste plans, and rural strategies. Although some of these plans are not statutory, they do have
significance and receive careful consideration from both planning authorities
and planning inspectors (England and Wales)/ Inquiry Reporters (Scotland).
The information
contained in HERs is used to form the basis of professional advice about the
implications of proposed developments on the cultural heritage. This advice is given in the context of the
planning guidance notes outlined below.
Planning and archaeology
England: Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG) 16 Archaeology and Planning (DOE 1990a) pulls together and
expands existing advice within the current legislative framework. Planning authorities are recommended to make
full use of the expertise of the county archaeological officer and to compile
and maintain an HER as the basis for assessing the archaeological implications
of development. Early consultation with
county archaeological officers and the HER is recommended to reduce potential
conflicts between the needs of development and archaeology.
Scotland:
National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) 5
Archaeology and Planning: (SDD 1994a) contains broadly similar recommendations. It sets out the Scottish Executive’s planning
policy on how archaeological remains and discoveries should be handled under
the development plan and development control systems, including the weight to
be given to them in planning decisions and the use of planning conditions. More detailed advice on planning procedures and the
separate controls over scheduled monuments is given in the associated Planning Advice Note (PAN) 42 Archaeology - the Planning Process and
Scheduled Monument Procedures (SDD 1994b)
Wales: Planning Policy Wales (National
Assembly for Wales: Welsh Assembly
Government 2002), and Welsh Office
Circular 60/96 Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology (Welsh Office
1996b): pull together and expand existing advice within the current legislative
framework. Planning authorities are
recommended to make full use of the expertise of the regional archaeological
services provided by the Welsh Archaeological Trusts and where appropriate
their own archaeological officers and to adopt or maintain an HER as the basis
for assessing the archaeological implications of development. Early consultation with archaeological
advisors and the HER is recommended to reduce potential conflicts between the
needs of development and archaeology.
Development Plans
England: PPG12 Development Plans and
Regional Planning Guidance (DoE 1992a) provides guidance for the preparation of the various
development plans and requires local planning authorities to take account of
concerns for conservation of the environment and the built and archaeological
heritage. There is no Scottish
equivalent – see references to SPP1
above in Development Plans.
Wales: Planning
Policy Wales (National Assembly
for Wales: Welsh Assembly
Government 2002), and Welsh Office
Circular 61/96 Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic
Buildings and Conservation Areas (Welsh Office 1996b): provide guidance for
the preparation of the various development plans and require local planning
authorities to take account of concerns for conservation of the environment and
the built and archaeological heritage.
Planning and the historic environment
England: PPG15 Planning and the Historic Environment (DOE 1994a) provides a
full statement of government policies for the identification and protection of
historic buildings, conservation areas and other elements of the historic
environment.
Scotland: NPPG 18 Planning and the Historic Environment (SDD 1999); deals
primarily with listed buildings, conservation areas, world heritage sites,
historic gardens, designed landscapes and their settings. The primary source of
guidance on the Scottish Ministers’
interests and responsibilities in relation to listed buildings and
conservation areas is provided in the Memorandum
of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas (revised 1998)
Wales: Planning Policy Wales (National
Assembly for Wales: Welsh Assembly
Government 2002), and Welsh Office
Circular 60/96 Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology (Welsh Office 1996b): provide a full statement of Welsh
Assembly Government policies for the identification and protection of historic
buildings, conservation areas and other elements of the historic environment.
In addition to the above, the value
of HERs is recognised in a number of other Acts and government policy
statements (see Panel 1) except in
Scotland where the only reference to SMRs may be found in Planning Advice Note (PAN) 42 (SDD 1994b), paras. 12-15.
Adoption of the
HER by the local authority
In England and Wales, HERs will
normally be adopted by resolution by their local authority in line with the
Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (see Panel 1). In the absence of statutory status for HERs, adoption goes some
way towards ensuring the continuance of HER services and provides a useful way
of explaining their importance to councillors.
A.6 What are
the links to other records?
| A.6.1 Local connections | A.6.2 Regional networks | A.6.3 National networks and resources | A.6.4 Wider context |
HERs are one of a number of
information providers operating at national and local levels (Figure 3). These other bodies curate information that
both complements and provides a new dimension to the information held by
HERs. For example, museums may curate
artefacts found locally and registered as sites on the HER. Environmental records hold information about
trees, hedgerows and species that sets the archaeological landscape recorded in
the HER in its wider landscape context. Record Offices hold archives which may
provide the source and supplementary documentation on sites recorded by an HER.
HERs help their users by including 'signposts' or cross-references in their
databases to places where other information can be found.
Figure 3: HERs and other records
Urban Archaeological Databases (UADs)
In England records of the historic
urban cores of modern towns have been developed by local government archaeology
services or contracting units under an English Heritage programme that involves
resource identification, database development and the preparation of a
management strategy. The database
element of this programme is a specific type of HER, similar in content to a
‘normal’ HER but generally including additional detail about stratified urban
deposits. Some UAD projects enhance
part of an existing HER rather than operating as a new, separate database. Once
strategies for managing the urban archaeological resource have been prepared,
the UAD should either be integrated into the HER for the area or maintained
separately as an HER and brought up to the 1st stage HER benchmark
as a minimum with an agreement with other HERs in the area as to who maintains
the record for the town/city in question to avoid duplication. A map showing
the towns covered by UADs is available on the English Heritage
web site.
There are no UADs in Wales or Scotland, although a pilot UAD has been
developed for Perth using local rather than national criteria.
Historic buildings
HERs should include information
about listed and other non-listed historic buildings (for example those
included in local lists, where these exist) and provide an integrated service
for archaeology and the built environment in order to satisfy benchmark 2.1 of Benchmarks for Good Practice (Chitty
2002). However, many local planning
authorities maintain separate Listed Buildings Records for use by their
historic buildings conservation officers.
These are often be paper-based records incorporating the lists published
by the DCMS (England), Welsh Assembly
Government through Cadw
(Wales) or Historic Scotland (Scotland)
and files containing conservation and monitoring reports and details of
buildings at risk surveys. Ideally conservation officers will use and
contribute information to their local HER.
Environmental
records
Records of the natural environment
(including ecology, geology, biological species) have traditionally been maintained
separately from records of the historic environment. A few local authorities
have brought together archaeology, buildings and the natural environment to
create integrated environment teams. Some HERs record palaeoenvironmental sites
as monuments. In Scotland there is
the Scottish Wetlands Archaeological Database, commissioned by Historic
Scotland, which is not yet incorporated into the SMRs (http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/swad/).
Planning
authorities
Planning authorities
maintain records of planning applications, the decisions made and any
conditions attached. Some HERs include
information in their databases about the recommendations made by planning
advisors to planning authorities, whilst in other authorities this data is held
in separate databases.
Museums
Museums hold
collections of objects and are the primary location for archaeological archives
resulting from fieldwork relating to their sphere of interest.They play a vital
role in curating such achives, containing as they do ‘...all parts of the archaeological record,
including the finds and digital records as well as the written, drawn and
photographic documentation’ (Perrin 2002). Their collection catalogues,
which may or may not be computerised, hold references to objects identified in
local HERs. Where possible, HERs also hold cross-references between the
locations where objects were found or excavated and the catalogue number and
name of the museum in which they are held, together with any associated
archives.
Record offices
Record offices,
whether county based as in England and Wales or the various unitary and joint
archives in Scotland, hold documents,
photographs, maps and other archives relating to their local area. Some HERs
have close contacts with their local record office and some HER databases
include cross-references to material held there.
A.6.2 Regional
networks
Regional HER
working parties
ALGAO members
within England have established a network of regional groups, coincident with
the government regions, for HER staff and, in some cases, for planning
archaeologists. These groups provide a
valuable forum for HER managers to discuss working practices, data standards
and to work together on regional initiatives such as the preparation of a
research framework for the region. There are no equivalent regional groups in
Scotland or Wales. The Scottish SMR Forum formed in 2000 and representing
Historic Scotland, the RCAHMS, the Scottish SMRs, and the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the focus for discussion of HER issues.
The four Welsh HER Managers meet regularly to discuss similar matters to their
colleagues in regional HER fora in England.
Regional
offices
English Heritage has established
regional offices to provide a local base for ancient monuments inspectors and
historic buildings advisors. Each HER
is covered by a designated ancient monuments inspector who provides a first
point of contact for conservation advice and information about English Heritage
projects and programmes. The English Heritage regional offices have also
established regional historic environment fora. These have a broad membership
of public, voluntary and private bodies to provide a clear focus for historic
environment issues, for example contributing to regional ‘State of the Historic
Environment’ reports. There are no regional offices of Historic Scotland, but both the listed building and the ancient monuments
inspectorate are organised on an area
basis. There are no regional offices in Wales.
A.6.3 National
networks and resources
National Records
The national
records of England, Scotland and Wales curate a wide range of information and
archive collections relating to the historic environment of their respective
countries and make them available to the public.
England
English Heritage’s National
Monuments Record (NMR) curates a wide range of information and archive
collections relating to the historic environment and makes them available to
the public.The NMR maintains a national database of monuments, buildings and maritime sites linked to a GIS system
and contains entries for over 400,000 monuments and c.80,000 events. The NMR
also curates a collection of over 2.5 million air photographs, some 3 million
ground photographs, 32,000 books, 300,000 maps and a growing collection of
plans, architectural drawings and reports. The collections provide complete aerial coverage
for England and other photographic coverage of a wide range of topics such as
English towns, gardens, houses, churches and cathedrals, industrial sites and
railway stations.
The NMR acts as the contact point
for queries concerning scheduled monuments, listed buildings and the registers
of parks and gardens, and battlefields. The NMR also issues a free licence to
HERs to hold NMR copyrighted material.
Heritage Information Partnerships
and the Data Standards Unit of the NMR offer advice to HERs and maintain
controlled terminologies such as the Thesaurus
of Monument Types.
Scotland
The Royal
Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is
responsible for recording, interpreting and collecting information about the
built environment. The National Monuments Record for Scotland (NMRS) is the
principal archive of collections for Scotland’s archaeological, building and
maritime heritage. There are several million items in the collections
comprising photographs, drawings, manuscripts, aerial photographs and other
visual and documentary material including digital archives.
Wales
The National Monuments Record of Wales
(NMRW) holds the national collection of information about the archaeological,
architectural and historical heritage of Wales and provides a public
information service, drawing on both archival and published sources and
benefiting from specialist advice from RCAHMW staff. Indexes to the
information, including core site data, form the RCAHMW's contribution to the
developing Extended National Database for Wales.. Currently there are over 1.25
million photographs, 70,000 plans and drawings and 50,000 historic maps in the
collections in addition to thousands of surveys and reports. Coflein is the
online interactive mapping and database for the National Monuments Record of
Wales (NMRW)
In Wales the HERs form part of an
‘Extended National Database (END) Partnership’ of heritage organisations
records which includes the RCAHMW’s records, Cadw SAM Records, and the National
Museums and Galleries of Wales archaeological collections. Core data from each
partner’s digital records are exchanged and regularly updated and made
available for both internal purposes and for public access.
An index to all of the records
from the partners, including core data from all records, is available on line
through the CARN (Core Archaeological Record iNdex)
Website.http://www.rcahmw.org.uk/data/carn
(this
is also relevant to A.8.5).
ALGAO
Specialist Committees
IHBC
IHBC
represents building conservation professionals working in England, Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with connections to the Republic of Ireland. The
Institute aims to establish, develop and maintain the highest standards of
conservation practice, to support the effective protection and enhancement of
the historic environment, and to promote heritage-led regeneration and access
to the historic environment for all. IHBC members come from a range of
professional disciplines in the public, private and voluntary sectors,
including conservation officers, planners, architects, and regeneration
practitioners.
Historic
Environment Records Forum
The HER
Forum exists to bring those with an interest in HERs together to exchange ideas
and assist each other. It consists of an e-mail discussion list (www.jiscmail.ac.uk/herforum),
twice yearly meetings and published Historic Environment Records News now
part of the Heritage Gateway. The HER Forum is chaired by one of its
members and co-ordinated by Heritage Information Partnerships at the NMR.
Although originally set up by English Heritage for English HERs the forum has
members representing Wales and Scotland as well as subscibers to the email list
from other parts of the world. In Scotland
the SMR Forum brings together national and local bodies with an interest in the
development of HERs, and there is a separate email Scottish SMR discussion list
which includes non-SMR members.
The Archaeology Data Service (ADS)
The ADS forms part
of a distributed national electronic resource established with funding from the
academic community to improve the accessibility of information resources to
researchers. The ADS holds metadata catalogues
which provide an index to databases held by HERs, the NMRs and others, and also
holds digital archives deposited by field archaeology units and national
organisations. Information collected by
the ADS is available on the internet through ARCHSearch, a search tool which
identifies sources of information and, in some cases, provides a link to
databases posted on the internet by organisations such as the Royal Commission
on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), some HERs and
thematic projects.
Web site: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/
Thematic projects
and local studies
Topical or thematic surveys are
carried out by local studies groups, archaeology and history societies, special
interest groups and national agencies. The
surveys include national projects creating records of monuments of a particular
period or type, for example the Defence of Britain project. The groups and societies organising these
surveys hold libraries, archives, collections and increasingly databases of
information that complement HER holdings.
HER managers often work with these groups and societies, supplying
information as well as aiming to incorporate new information and enhance their
own databases at the end of the project. An on-line discussion forum, Historic
Environment List For Projects and Societies, has
been set up to promote co-operation and sharing of
ideas/information between survey projects and special interest groups and
societies involved in recording all aspects of the historic environment.
Web site; http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/helps.html
European Heritage
Network
In recent years there have been
several collaborative projects involving the member states of the European
Union. The European Heritage Network,
is looking at the policy and legislation framework for heritage conservation
across Europe. A multi-lingual
thesaurus is being developed for the project to support retrieval of
information across the member states. Other projects are working to provide
trans-national access to archives (ARENA)
and HERs (PLANARCH).
Web sites:
Arena http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/arena
Planarch www.planarch.org
A.7 HERs as public information
services
HERs are a starting point for any enquiry about the local historic
environment. They aim to distil what is
known about sites in their area on their databases and direct enquirers to
additional sources of information.
Searches and
resources
HER databases provide a way of
searching for sites by their location, period, type and other
characteristics. HER record maps, both
on paper and in GIS, are an excellent way of identifying sites and areas of
interest. The databases provide an
index to the files, books, reports, plans, sketches and photographs held by
HERs. They also contain references to
original archive material held in local record offices, information about sites
held in other databases and sometimes references to objects held in local
museums.
Local people
Many people contact HERs wishing to
know more about their local area. Some
enquiries are very specific, for example house owners or potential buyers
researching the history of their house, garden or other land, perhaps in
advance of a planning application, or to help prepare management
proposals. Enquiries can also be very
general, for example a local studies group may spend several years researching the
history of a parish.
Education and life-long learning
School teachers consult HERs to
relate national history to local examples of monuments or buildings. Local studies also provide a starting point
for many adult-education projects. HER
managers work with local schools and colleges to prepare packs for students and
with universities to provide information that forms the starting point for
research excavations and other projects. HER data also contributes to
post-graduate research.
Leisure and tourism
Many HER managers are involved in
producing materials for their authorities' leisure services departments. HER materials are used to prepare
interpretation panels and leaflets about sites that can be visited in their
local area.
Many HERs have outreach programmes
and take part each year in 'Heritage
Open-Days' and the 'National Archaeology Days' organised by the Council for
British Archaeology's (CBA s) Young
Archaeologists Club and other special events (see also Council for Scottish Archaeology). These days aim to promote public enjoyment
of the historic environment. HER
managers take part by preparing displays or giving presentations based on the
information held in their databases and collections.
Commercial enquiries
Most HERs
are regularly consulted by archaeological contractors and other commercial
users. HER materials are used to assess
the implications and potential costs of developing a particular piece of land. The majority of HERs charge commercial users
a fee to cover the staff costs involved in meeting their requests.
Promotion and publications
Many HERs use their collections to
prepare annual reports, leaflets, site interpretation panels, popular books,
educational materials and to organise events.
Increasingly HERs are also using their collections to publish
information on the World Wide Web (www) including web-enabling their databases.
| A.8.1 Strategic development and co-ordination | A.8.2 Data standards | A.8.3 Research frameworks | A.8.4 Access and education | A.8.5 Wider perspectives | A.8.6 From SMRs to HERs: evolution or revolution? |
An Assessment of SMRs in England (Baker 1999a), Scotland
(Baker 1999b) and Wales (Baker
unpublished) has shown that
their development has been uneven and often on an ad hoc basis. However, more recent research such as the SMR
Content and Computing Survey (Newman 2002), has shown that the situation is
improving. The government HER consultation results, HER Benchmarks for Good
Practice (Chitty 2002) and Resource needs for SMRs and UADs to reach the first
stage benchmarks (Baker,
Chitty and Edwards 2004) (relating to England) have shown a way forward for
future continued improvement in the key areas described below.
A.8.1 Strategic
development and co-ordination
Recent years have seen much greater
co-operation between the key national organisations with an interest in the
development of English HERs (English Heritage, ALGAO, RCAHMW, RCAHMS, IHBC,
DCMS and MLA) since RCHME, ALGAO and English Heritage signed a co-operation
statement containing agreed key principles governing SMR development in 1998 (RCHME, ALGAO and English Heritage 1998).
The statement set out a shared vision of a national network of heritage
records maintained to common standards and accessible to a wide variety of
users. Since 1998, this partnership has
underpinned a number of projects, including the SMR assessment (Baker 1999a),
and preparation of a framework document for the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to
guide bids from HERs for funding, recently updated as ‘Unlocking
Our Past’ (EH/ALGAO 2005).
Following the Baker report (Baker
1999a) ALGAO produced a strategy for HERs (ALGAO 2000) which set out the Association’s intention to work with the
national partners to:
·
Develop
national standards for the compilation of HERs and other heritage records.
·
Encourage
research into the development of a country-wide network of heritage information
systems.
·
Build
relationships between the historic environment and the wider environmental
fields.
·
Find
resources to address backlogs and to broaden the coverage of HERs to encompass
the historic environment as a whole.
In England, English Heritage, ALGAO,
IHBC, DCMS and MLA meet regularly in an HER Working Party which has taken the
lead in such initiatives as the first edition of this manual as well as its
revision, in the Benchmarks for Good
Practice (Chitty 2002), Resource needs for SMRs and UADs to reach the first
stage benchmarks (Baker, Chitty and
Edwards 2004) and a framework document for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support
for HER Outreach, Unlocking Britain’s
Past (HLF 1999) and Unlocking Our Past (English Heritage/ALGAO 2005). The challenge for the future is for
the partners to successfully influence both national and local government to
provide greater stability and increased resources to support the further
development of HERs.
Similarly partnership in Wales between Cadw, RCAHMW, NMGW
and the WATs has led to the Strategic
Framework for Historic Environment Records in Wales (Cadw et al 2005).
In 2003 the Scottish SMRs and the RCAHMS agreed a Co-operation Statement (published in 2005) which sets out their aim to work together in a number of areas: liaison, on-line resources, user feedback and analysis, workshops and training, joint services, education and tourism and research. (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/RCAHMS_smr.doc)
There is now a widespread acceptance
of the importance of data standards and three key platforms for this, the
event-monument-source data model, the high level MIDAS (Lee 1998) standard and
the national reference data terminology lists (INSCRIPTION) have already been
agreed by HERs and NMR in England/Wales. These high level standards are
available on the web site for use by any HERs. No comparable work on data
standards has taken place in Scotland, but agreement to co-operate on these is
included in the Co-operation Statement between SMRs and RCAHMS (RCAHMS 2005). More detailed data standards are being developed in Scotland
under the auspices of the ASPIRE project (http://www.aspire-resource.info)
and the Scottish SMR Forum.
These standards have and will
inevitably develop in the light of practical experience and in response to new
areas. A forum for discussing
developments in data standards is already in place, the Forum on Information
Standards in Heritage (FISH); its work and that of other standard-setting
groups will continue. Challenges for
the future will include developing standards for archaeological spatial data,
an aspect currently being addressed and
working towards common standards for heritage information across the UK. (See
B.6, E.4)
Many
archaeologists have long recognised the need for a framework for regional
archaeological research and are responding positively to the English Heritage
recommendation for the publication of research frameworks. These documents
provide a structure within which decisions can be taken on the protection,
management and recording of the archaeological resource at local levels and
relate national strategies to those needs.
Recent examples are the archaeological research frameworks for East
Anglia (Glazebrook 1997; Brown and Glazebrook 2000) and the Greater Thames
Estuary (Williams and Brown 1999) which provide an assessment of the
archaeological resource of these regions and highlight areas where HER
enhancements or links between neighbouring HERs need to be developed. In 2005
English Heritage published a national Research Framework (English Heritage
2005b; 2005c). Wales is
similarly engaged in producing a national framework and current progress toward
this can be seen at http://www.cpat.org.uk/research.
Scotland is
presently at an earlier stage of the process although the need for frameworks
is recognised.
Until recently, apart from a few
pioneering HERs, most had limited resources to devote to widening use of their
records. Since the Heritage Lottery Fund published a framework document Unlocking Britain’s Past (HLF 1999)
updated as Unlocking Our Past (English
Heritage/ALGAO 2005) to guide HER bids
with an emphasis on outreach, education
and access projects the position has changed. Several HERs in England including
Cheshire, Essex, Durham, Herefordshire, Kent, Northumberland, Somerset, and
Warwickshire have been successful in securing HLF funding for such projects. In
2002-03, a proof of concept project, Accessing Scotland’s Past (www.accessingscotlandspast.org.uk),
was piloted between RCAHMS and two Scottish SMRs. Some HERs have also been able
to take advantage of other government initiatives, such as the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the New
Libraries Network. All these should enable greater public access to HERs, both
directly through the provision of office space and computer access and remotely
via libraries, record offices and the internet. The exciting and innovative projects that are now being developed
should result in a broader awareness of HERs and their importance. Public interest and enthusiasm for the historic
environment and conservation, partially developed through popular television
programmes, is also being harnessed to develop a two-way flow of information
between HERs and local people with an interest in learning more about, and
recording, their local historic environment.
In recent years, at a national and
international level, a number of initiatives have been developed to co-ordinate
information systems and services for archaeological and architectural
conservation. One example is the
Historic Environment Information Resources Network, or HEIRNET, a consortium of
UK bodies seeking to facilitate common standards and support communications
links between information systems relating to the historic environment. A report, HEIRNET: Users and their Uses of HEIRs (HEIRNET 2002) prepared for
this consortium on the increasing numbers of Historic Environment Information
Resources (HEIRS) (see http://www.britarch.ac.uk/HEIRNET)
recommended that:
·
a
central register of HEIRs should be created and supported by the community of
information systems, which has now been created at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/heirnet/index.cfm
·
a
technical advisory facility should be established to help projects to use data
standards and data structures that assist inter-operability and to bring
research results to wider audiences
·
funding
agencies should take concerted action to ensure that the creators of
information systems incorporate accessibility and inter-operability.
Such moves are timely and may help
archaeologists improve their input to the new regional organisations recently
set up by government (such as regional development agencies, regional cultural
consortia). The developing regional structure in England provides an opportunity
for establishing improved arrangements for the protection and enhancement of
the historic environment through closer co-operation and the development of
partnerships between local-authority archaeologists and others with a concern
for the historic environment. At the
international level there is also a growing trend towards co-operation, both in
terms of the creation of international standards such as the Comité
International pour la Documentation (CIDOC), and through joint projects funded
for example by the various European Community schemes. (See also CARN under
A.6.3 above)
A.8.6 From
SMRs to HERs: evolution or revolution?
The
development at both national and local level of a more integrated approach to
the management of the historic environment has led to a widening of information
sources which are now broader in scope than
what was understood by the term 'SMR'.
It is in part this which has led to a change of name to ‘Historic
Environment Record’. This has proceeded by concensus following discussion by
the HER Forum and adopted by EH and ALGAO at their HER working party. Most
English and Welsh HERs now contain a record of the built heritage, some contain
details of palaeoenvironmental sites and/or links to geological and ecological
records. This approach has not yet been adopted in Scotland.
Statutory status, the proposed
portal for the historic environment (the Heritage Gateway, a NMRE initiative in
collaboration with ALGAO and IHBC see A.2.8), the trend towards integration of
archaeology, the built environment and biological records is in line with
national government policy towards modernisation. The Modernising Government
White Paper (HMSO 1999) set out a timetable for government departments to
deliver services to the public which 'join up' functions currently served by
different departments (for Scotland,
see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Open-scotland,
and also the PastMap
project that provides access to the Scottish
National Archaeological and Architectural Datasets that are maintained by
Historic Scotland, RCAHMS, Scottish Natural Heritage and some SMRs). Government departments are required
to develop.a timetable for implementing electronic services that are available
for 24 hours each day. These
requirements give increased impetus to HERs to
enhance their databases, adopting GIS, digitising collections and
meeting the Benchmarks for Good Practice
(Chitty 2002) to provide greater public access in line with the Government's
stated objective of access for all, not just a few. Overall, these pressures, with the moves towards regional
structures by national government, will pose the question of whether
the.current structure of HER provision can adequately resource the needs of a
more 'joined-up' approach to the historic environment.
Statutory status proposed for
England, the proposed portal for the historic environment (the Heritage Gateway,
an NMR initiative in collaboration with ALGAO and IHBC), Pastmap in Scotland
and Coflein and Historic Wales) and the greater interoperability being provided
by FISH through their interoperability toolkit will continue to open up new
challenges and opportunities for HERs in the future.