Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we've come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.
Historic England has many departments across the organisation, who help contribute to our understanding of the past, including a large team of archaeologists. Our archaeological work is wide-ranging and includes excavation projects, airborne and terrestrial remote sensing, marine archaeology, conservation, scientific research, scheduling of important sites and managing changes, or risks, to them. Read more about Historic England’s Archaeologists here.
As a recent example of our work, we have just launched a major new archaeological excavation at the site of Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria, on Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site. One of the most significant sites on the Wall, Birdoswald has been at the centre of research into Hadrian’s Wall for well over a century, and in the last few decades work led by Historic England Senior Archaeologist Tony Wilmott inside the fort, and more recently at the fort cemetery, has attracted international attention. Working with Newcastle University and English Heritage, this latest excavation will examine the extensive settlement associated with the fort, including the area immediately to the north of the Wall itself. We will look to answer questions such as ‘how did the people inside the fort interact with those living in the nearby settlement?’ and ‘what was the purpose of the recently discovered tower at the fort?’ You can find out more about the project here.
As an organisation that spearheads projects like Birdoswald, we recognise the importance of celebrating the archaeology sector. As well as providing thousands of jobs related to the planning, development and construction sector, archaeology is the focus of important research and brings significant public value in enriching our understanding of this country’s history and encouraging tourism. We are therefore really pleased to be supporting the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology once again this summer.
We particularly welcome this year’s theme, ‘Exploring Local Places’. Encouraging people to get out and explore their local places, to discover stories, sites, buildings, places, people and events that make our local communities so special is at the heart of what we do. Indeed, our £95 million government-funded High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme, which is currently running across 67 high streets, aims to do just that and we can’t wait to see how people across the country celebrate the festival’s High Street’s Day on 20 July.
For more information about Historic England, please visit our website here.
