Northumberland Historic Environment Record

Northumberland County Council, 2000. (updated 2003)

Data copyright © Northumberland County Council unless otherwise stated


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Primary contact

Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF
England
Tel: 01670 620305

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Resource identifiers

  • ADS Collection: 292

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Northumberland County Council maintains the Sites and Monuments Record for the county of Northumberland - "England's Border Country" - a land of history and heritage set amidst some of the finest scenery in Britain. Today it still contains many reminders of some of the country's most important historical periods. There are over 13,000 records in the SMR with information about remains as diverse as prehistoric cemeteries and Hadrian's Wall to Anglo-Saxon settlements and the defences of World War II.

The SMR has been developed in order to provide as much up-to-date information as possible in relation to the archaeology of the county. It is primarily used as a tool for development control purposes but it is equally useful for research purposes. We welcome enquiries from professional and amateur archaeologists alike, indeed we aim to reach as wide an audience as possible and encourage requests for information from all walks of life.

What is available here?

The information supplied to the Archaeology Data Service was downloaded on 17th October 2003. The following data fields are available online:

  • SMR NUMBER: unique identifier
  • DISTRICT: local administrative district
  • PARISH: current Civil Parish
  • SITE NAME: name of the monument where applicable
  • NGR: National Grid Reference to maximum 100m precision
  • AREA STATUS: any designations relating to land use and/or protection of the monument
  • CROSS REFERENCE NOS: other designated reference numbers, eg scheduled monument number
  • TYPE: monument type according to the English Heritage Thesaurus of Monument Types
  • PERIOD: broad archaeological period, eg Bronze Age, Roman, medieval, modern, etc
  • FORM: the form in which the monument or site exists, eg cropmark, building, earthwork
  • DESCRIPTION: text describing the site or monument. This is in cumulative form, each new piece of information inserted after the previous one. It should be cross-referenced with the SOURCES table to find out where the information has been compiled from
  • SOURCES: references to published and unpublished reports, etc

Additional SMR resources

The Northumberland SMR incorporates information from a wide range of sources, including the Ordnance Survey, aerial photographs, personal field observations and both published and unpublished reports. It was first developed in the early 1980s.

The SMR is not a definitive record of the archaeology in Northumberland; it is rather a statement of what we know at this particular moment in time. The wider office-based SMR contains records of listed buildings, aerial photographs, as well as archaeological reports and surveys which are still to be synthesised and added to the computerised record.

Further information from the SMR may be obtained from NCC. This includes more detailed grid references, details of aerial photographs and other images as well as any uncatalogued information.

How you can help us

New information is constantly being added to the SMR and feedback from you, as well as news of new discoveries and updates to our records will be welcome. If a site is not on the SMR then we can't protect it from development, forestry or other threats.

Sites to visit

Please note that the inclusion of a monument in the SMR does not imply that it is accessible to the public. Although the majority of sites are in private ownership, many well-preserved monuments are visible from public rights of way and permissive paths. A series of guided walks is organised by Northumberland County Council and Northumberland National Park, some of which are on archaeological themes and details are available on the NCC web site (www.northumberland.gov.uk). In addition we have published a leaflet, Discovering our Prehistoric Past, which gives access details for a number of sites and is available from the address below.

How to use this information

All data supplied by the SMR is intended for individual use or private research purposes and the user is not entitled to copy or reproduce information from the SMR in the public domain without the written permission of the copyright holder. The Northumberland SMR is produced by and is copyright of Northumberland County Council.

New developments

Keys to the Past is an exciting new Heritage Lottery Funded project, which will help to unlock the secrets of Durham and Northumberland's past. This joint venture between Northumberland and Durham County Councils has created an exciting and colourful website through which a complete record of the region's archaeology can be accessed. The 'Keys to the Past' website went live on 8th October 2003 and you can now link from the SMR records on the ADS site to a reworked and illustrated dataset that allows easy access for the public. Alternatively you can log on to www.keystothepast.info

Another joint project is PastPerfect - a New Opportunities Fund grant-aided project run by Durham and Northumberland County Councils. It was launched on 25 March 2003 and aims to bring the archaeology and history of the two counties alive, using the latest in virtual reality interactive technology. We have created reconstructions of seven very different archaeological sites, around which you can browse, experiencing for yourself how people lived in these places. In our archive sections you can find historical documents, archaeologists' notebooks, excavation photographs, objects and film footage, and learn how these elements helped create our vision of life in the past. You can visit the sites at www.pastperfect.org.uk

How to contact us

If you have any queries about the SMR, require further information, or would like contribute information to the SMR, please contact the Conservation Team at the address in the sidebar.


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