Conservation

Herefordshire Archaeology is the county archaeological service maintained by Herefordshire Council. It is located within the Conservation Section in the Council's Regeneration Directorate. The service exists to assess, investigate, document, conserve and promote the archaeology and historic landscape of the county and cathedral city. The service currently comprises a core staff of five: the County Archaeologist, the Archaeological Advisor, the Countryside Advisor (Archaeology), the Archaeological Projects Officer, and the Sites and Monuments Record Officer (job-share).

The Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) is the most comprehensive available index to Herefordshire's historic environment. It is an integral part of the county archaeological service (Herefordshire Archaeology), maintaining over 31,000 records relating to the historic environment. The SMR consists of a paper and computerised record of all known archaeological and historic sites in Herefordshire, and spans the full range of human activity in the county, from earliest prehistory through to the 20th century. It aims to record everything significant about the historic environment, from a prehistoric burial mound, to a medieval town, to a railway line or important Victorian house. Records have been drawn from a wide variety of sources, including reports of archaeological fieldwork, books, journal articles, maps (including historic maps), aerial photographs, national lists and registers, student dissertations and field observations from antiquarian and modern recorders. New records are regularly added.

To learn more about Herefordshire Archaeology and the Sites and Monuments Record, please visit www.herefordshire.gov.uk/htt (the Herefordshire Through Time website) which provides detailed information and up-to-date news.