Highland Historic Environment
Record: future directions and why
we need you
Sylvina Tilbury, Highland Council
HER Officer
What is an HER?
• Historic Environment Record (often still referred
to as a Sites and Monuments Record)
• An HER is a constantly evolving set of
information which both informs, and is informed
by, the work of the local authority and its partners
What is an HER?
• An Historic Environment Record stores
and provides access to systematically
organised information about the historic
environment in a given area. It is
maintained and updated for public benefit
in accordance with national and
international standards and guidance.’
Chitty, G, 2002, Historic Environment Records:
Benchmarks for Good Practice
What is this “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.”
(Chitty, G, 2002, Historic Environment Records:
Benchmarks for Good Practice)
Why do local authorities need an
HER?
• Local authorities have the major responsibility
for managing the historic environment in their
area.
• In Highland, we are responsible for more than
40,000 known sites and historic buildings that
have no direct legal protection
• Local authorities maintain an HER so they have
access to the information they need to carry out
this role effectively
What does the HC Historic
Environment Team do?
• We are consulted on all applications for
planning permission and listed building
consent, utilities developments and
Scotland Rural Development Programme
• Detailed advice given in more than 800
separate cases last financial year
Highland HER information in the Strathpeffer area
• Advise on the management and recording of
archaeological sites and historic buildings
(listed and unlisted)
• Specify and monitor
planning-led
archaeological
fieldwork
• Provide advice and support to community-led
fieldwork and research projects
Where does the HER for?
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.
What is in the Highland HER?
Database of all known
archaeological sites, historic
buildings, finds and other
historic landscape features:
• What is it?
• How old is it?
• Last known condition/state of
survival
• Relevant published and
unpublished sources
What is in the Highland HER?
• Original record cards,
derived from the
Ordnance Survey
records and added to
over 25 years
(scanned and held
electronically)
• Where is it/how big is it?
• Links to information held by other bodies
What is in the Highland HER?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Information about surveys
and excavations,
especially planningrelated
What was done?
When was it done?
Why was it done?
Where was it done?
By whom?
What was found?
What is in the Highland HER?
Supporting information
• Copies of old maps, plans, manuscripts,
published articles
• Fieldwork reports (so-called grey
literature)
• Photographic collections (conventional,
slides, digital and aerial)
The Internet Age
The Highland HER
has been available
online since August
2008
• All paper file contents
(except
correspondence)
• Full database records
and mapped features
for sites and fieldwork
• Photographs
• Reports, and more
Why do we publish the HER
online?
• Environmental Information Regulations
(Scotland) 2004
• Public authorities are obliged to make their
information widely available, preferably
electronically
• Proactive online publication is recognised
as the most effective way to do this.
But more importantly
•
•
•
•
Improve access for our existing users
Engage new audiences
Promote user involvement
Tap into and record the hidden knowledge
of individuals and communities
• Improve the quality of our records
Public contributions since HER
went online:
• 1470 records updated with new
information and/or photographs
• 2708 separate items submitted
• 254 totally new records
Distribution of public contributions since online launch
Public contributions to the online Highland Historic Environment Record
28%
28%
5%
5%
34%
Additional information
Correction
Local story
New photos for existing records
New records
How can people contribute?
• Email
• Post
• Phone
• Social networking!
• We strongly encourage discussion and
debate, even within the records
themselves!
Testimonial…
“The Highland Historic Environment Record is an
excellent resource. Surveys, reports and site records are
quickly assimilated into the HER and fully accessible to
all. This approach encourages engagement… [and] the
open and inclusive approach to record keeping
encourages submissions and dialogue.”
Matt Ritchie, Forestry Commission Scotland Archaeologist
In any given year the Highland
HER receives
• Around 150 new fieldwork reports with hundreds
of new sites
• Updated listings and schedulings
• Thousands of photographs
• Hundreds of corrections, additions, new sites
from members of the public
• Community projects generating huge amounts of
valuable information
• RCAHMS surveys generating information about
hundreds of sites
Work smarter?
• Eyes and ears on the ground – encourage
people to report their knowledge and
findings
• Collective proof reading/fact checking –
thousands of pairs of eyes to spot
mistakes
• Find more efficient ways of getting
information from the field and into the HER
The end result…
Or this?
Over to you!
http://her.highland.gov.uk
Questions
• How well do you think the Highland HER
does its job, both the contents and online
delivery?
• Where are improvements needed?
• If Highland Council had unlimited
resources (we don’t!) what would be on
your wish list?
• What can we do to encourage you to
contribute?