Aerial Photograph Mapping Programme and Assessment Project
The aim of this project is to undertake an assessment of the historic environment in selected areas of the North York Moors National Park by the mapping of archaeological features from aerial photographs. This is being carried out as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Programme, combined with an assessment of existing Historic Environment Records (HER) and National Monument Records (NMR) records and the integration of this data into the National Park Authority digital geographical information system (GIS). This will provide enhanced evidence for the management and conservation of archaeological and historic sites across the National Park.
The North York Moors contain a striking wealth of archaeological remains of all periods. These range from the flint tools and camps of the first hunters at the end of the last Ice Age through to the concrete and steel bunkers dating from the Cold War period. The North York Moors is also home to an important group of prehistoric rock art, prehistoric cemeteries, pit alignments and land boundaries as well as the largest Iron Age hill-fort of its kind in the North of England at Roulson Scar (24 hectares), together with Roman Forts, castles and abbeys, moorland crosses and the remains of important early industrial sites. Approximately 32% of all the Scheduled Monuments (nationally important sites with legal protection) in the Yorkshire and Humber region can be found in the National Park.
The North York Moors National Park has been subject to regular aerial reconnaissance and archaeological photography since the 1970s, but it is now over 20 years since any systematic work has been undertaken on the available air photographic evidence. As a result, very little of this information has been accurately mapped for this protected landscape.
Approximately 28% of the National Park will be the subject of aerial photographic mapping. The study area will be centred on three study blocks that will encompass both upland and lower lying ground as well as linking to areas of coastline already mapped as part of a previous Coastal Assessment project. A new set of vertical imagery taken in 2009 will be used to monitor condition and management issues relating to Scheduled Monuments within the study area and the results will be used to update the HER and Scheduled Monuments at Risk databases. A geo-archaeological landform assessment will also be undertaken to identify archaeological associations within the study area. The results of these assessments will assist in managing past, current and future impacts on the heritage of the area and inform the North York Moors National Park Research and Management Framework.
The resulting information from this project will be made available to planners, curators and the public as part of the HER and NMR. An outreach and awareness raising programme will be undertaken, which will include articles on the National Park website and in the National Park’s annual archaeological newsletter. A series of talks will be given to local community groups and historical societies in the National Park and surrounding region.
The project is being undertaken by the North York Moors National Park Authority in conjunction with Archaeological Research Services Ltd. The project is timetabled to run for 15 months, commencing June 2010 and running until the end of July 2011.
