Nottinghamshire Aggregates Resource Assessment
Trent and Peak Archaeology, Nottinghamshire County Council, 2013. (updated 2022) https://doi.org/10.5284/1018086. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Trent and Peak Archaeology unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record
Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall
West Bridgford
Nottinghamshire
NG2 7QP
England
Tel: 0300 500 80 80
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 1299
- ALSF Project Number: 5787
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1018086
- How to cite using this DOI
Overview
Three Aggregate Character Areas (ACAs) were defined in this project on the basis of variations in bedrock and superficial geology and the character of the derived aggregate resource; these correspond with landscapes developed on Permian Magnesian Limestone, Triassic Sherwood Sandstone and Superficial (Quaternary) Sands and Gravels. Within each ACA, a series of discrete geomorphological units (termed ‘landform elements’) was identified, following the methodology employed in the Derbyshire and Peak District Aggregates Resource Assessment. It is hoped that use of this common methodology will contribute towards the development of more consistent archaeological responses to proposals for mineral extraction in the East Midlands and beyond.
A concise synthesis is provided in the archive report of the archaeological resource of those areas of Nottinghamshire that are potentially available for aggregates extraction, together with tabular summaries by period of the key monument types occurring in each ACA and maps derived from the project Geographic Information System (GIS). For each landform element, summaries are provided of the principal geomorphological processes that have moulded the landscape, specific archaeological associations and the assessment, evaluation and mitigation strategies that should be considered when preparing archaeological schemes of investigation. The key research questions that should be taken into account when developing schemes of treatment for each ACA are also highlighted, with consideration of their significance for advancing the research questions identified in the East Midlands Historic Environment Research Framework. A copy of the project archive report and the published guidance document derived from it may be downloaded from this website. The GIS underpinning this project is maintained by Nottinghamshire County Council and may be consulted by application to the County HER team.
It should be emphasised that archaeological monument types located in areas unavailable for aggregates extraction fall beyond the scope of this study and have been excluded from consideration (including, for example, the caves that were dug into the sandstone bedrock of Nottingham from at least the medieval period). Built environment assets have also been excluded from this resource assessment, although we have reviewed in detail the archaeological evidence for standing buildings that might be encountered during quarrying.
Nottinghamshire County Council requires that the guidance derived from this resource assessment be consulted by developers, consultants and contractors prior to the development of archaeological schemes of treatment for sites that may be impacted by aggregates extraction. It is anticipated that assessment, evaluation and mitigation strategies will continue to evolve as knowledge accumulates and as techniques of investigation develop, and it is requested therefore that close liaison be maintained with Nottinghamshire’s archaeological curator and the County HER team during the development and execution of schemes of investigation. This will enable staff to provide details of enhancements of the HER since completion of the resource assessment and to advise on appropriate assessment, evaluation and mitigation strategies.
