This programme enables EH to allocate funds for a number of important archaeological activities not covered through the work of the commercial sector operating under the aegis of PPG-16. 319 projects were funded at a total cost of £5,355,669. The commissions budget was reduced in the autumn of 1995 by £346,931 as a result of financial difficulties in other areas of EH. Additional cuts, announced in November 1995, further reduced the operational budget for 199697 to £4.9m (from £5.6m).
A central and substantive part of the Programme is to promote archaeological research and to provide the framework for commercial sector work conducted under PPG-16. Most commercially driven archaeological projects are necessarily devoted to the immediate impact of the development process upon the archaeological resource. PPG-16 enables the recording and subsequent analysis and publication of that work where preservation in-situ cannot take place. Much important archaeological information is being retrieved through evaluations conducted in advance of planning consent; however, where the decision is taken not to proceed with development, or to mitigate its impact upon the archaeology, there is often a feeling that such evaluation has not produced significant archaeological information. Nevertheless, these small-scale operations are rapidly creating a large body of data, useful in the wider contexts of managing the resource and pursuing broader academic goals.
The full significance of discoveries can often only be properly assessed by placing the results of smaller scale work within a national or regional context. EH provides resources for syntheses, to maximise the knowledge gained from such work and to make it available to the discipline and the general public. The Archaeology Commissions Programme therefore functions as a much needed bridge between small-scale interventions into the archaeological landscape, and the wider analysis necessary for its understanding. There was an increase in such synthetic projects, drawing together the results of numerous interventions (both pre and post-PPG-16) into coherent frameworks. We expect this trend to continue to develop in coming years, especially in association with the research frameworks initiative.
In all cases resources were allocated within the framework of Exploring our past (English Heritage 1991), and as part of a developing framework of research goals (Table 2). Exploring our past is currently being updated to reflect recent developments in archaeology and the revised document, together with EH's own research agenda, will be issued as a consultation document in the next financial year.
The list of projects commissioned has been organised to reflect the broad functional context within which funding was allocated. The figures given for each of the following areas represents the total expenditure on that area this year.
Summaries of projects representing the range of work funded through the Archaeology Commissions Programme.
Tables of the different types of projects, showing the funding for individual projects and the responsible organisations.
Significant archaeological deposits continue to be threatened by developments where pre-PPG-16 planning consents fail to ensure adequate protection or recording, most notably in the case of mineral extraction. £677,086 was expended in rescuing the archaeology of such sites. In some cases, archaeological discoveries of national significance may be lost despite the implementation of PPG-16. Where a brief for archaeological recording was adequately set, and the developer has made every effort to comply with reasonable PPG-16 planning conditions, EH can provide additional resources to enhance the archaeological record and analyse the results. This is most often the case where the evaluation, despite being well planned, failed sufficiently to characterise the archaeological resource under threat. EH provided £186,227 for important discoveries arising in this way in 1995-96. In addition the development and use of evaluation techniques and appropriate sampling methodology will form part of EH's programme of future research. EH also allocated £233,495 to recording and analysing the archaeological resource in advance of destruction not covered by PPG-16.This included information from sites subject to natural erosion (rivers, hillsides, coastal), agricultural activity (long term degradation, ploughing, etc), and other activities outside the planning process (such as treasure hunting).
EH is keen to fund projects aimed at collating and reviewing archaeological evidence over a broad area, to enhance the interpretation of the landscape, and to contribute to its long-term management. It is recognised that a strong understanding of existing knowledge is essential in the development of management plans at a local or regional scale, and the development of research agenda. £557,106 was spent on reviews of the archaeological resource. £193,769 was provided as assistance to a number of local and regional planning authorities in support of archaeology posts, to increase provision of development control and, in some cases, specifically to enhance aspects of sites and monuments records. Within the Monuments Protection Programme £60,713 assisted with a number of key developmental and acceleration programmes to support its implementation.
Farm survey grants (£72,396) introduced in 199091 continue to be an important means of improving the presentation and management of the archaeological resource, unfortunately, due to cuts in the 199697 budget, these have been temporarily suspended. It is hoped to reinstate them if future funds permit. EH used £231,420 to commission a number of projects for specific management or academic research purposes, aimed at informing curatorial decisions regarding specific sites and landscapes. Programmes to collate information and inform the management of some of our most important urban townscapes continued. In addition £302,357 was spent on intensive studies (focusing on individual settlements), and extensive studies aimed at achieving a regional understanding of urban centres.
A number of projects were commissioned, at a cost of £552,883, with objectives derived from Exploring our past (see Table 2). The aim being to develop key programmes within these areas, exploring the conservation, management, and understanding of the archaeological record in England.
There are still a considerable number of pre-PPG-16 excavations which, for whatever reasons, were unable to complete analysis and dissemination. £2,266,515 was spent on rolling programme of support for pre-PPG-16 analysis projects, designed to bring the most important and significant results into the public domain. There is no cut-off date for such funding, but rather a continuing attempt to extract the most significant data and make it available through individual site publications, or as part of wider reviews.
EH takes a strong view on the need to develop the professional infrastructure of archaeology. To this end new training initiatives have been undertaken (ie conservation training for finds staff) and more courses are planned for the future (ie soil micromorphology sampling). To some degree this overlaps with spending on strategic projects, some of which have a strong element of professional infrastructure (eg the animal bone metrical project, the management of stone materials, prehistoric resource base, and the thin-section database). £21,696 was spent on the development of professional infrastructure, but it is envisaged that training courses and the development and production of databases and handbooks will be an important area for funding in future years. Suggestions are actively encouraged from the profession and for further information and an electronic mail suggestion box refer to the training site on the Archaeology Division WWW site (Under Construction - http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/training), or email the Archaeology Commissions Programme at ArchCom@eng-h.gov.uk
There is often a strong emphasis in long term projects on presentation to the public and specific education initiatives. Teachers, seconded to promote the integration of projects with the local schools, were funded by EH's Education branch at West Heslerton, Elms Farm, Heybridge, and Boxgrove. Many smaller projects included elements of local display and dissemination, and all projects will continue to be examined for educational and presentational potential which will continue to be actively encouraged.
