3 The Archaeology Commissions Programme

Principal areas of Funding.
Development or Threat Led Commisions.
Managing and Protecting Commisions
Dissemination and Publication Commisions
Table 2 : Breakdown of expenditure.

The Archaeology Commissions Programme enables EH to allocate funds for important archaeological activities not covered through the work of the commercial sector operating under the aegis of PPG-16. In 1996-97 a total of 272 projects were funded at a total cost of £4,875,535.00.

Clickable Image Map of Selected Projects

5.0 Archaeology grants paid in 1996 - 97.

Archaeology Grants Paid in 1996 - 97 Tables :
5.1 Archaeological Resource Review.
5.2 Destruction not covered by PPG - 16.
5.3 Excavation / Fieldwork Projects.
5.4 Farm Survey.
5.5 Local Authority Archaeology.
5.6 Monuments Protection Programme.
5.7 Planning condition pre - PPG - 16.
5.8 PPG - 16 Assistance.
5.9 Pre - PPG - 16 Backlog.
5.10 Professional Infrastructure.
5.11 Strategic.
5.12 Urban Extensive Strategy.
5.13 Urban Intensive Strategy.

Resources were allocated within the framework of Exploring our past (table 2). There have been problems in implementing some of the strategies outlined in Exploring our past, and changes in the profession and patterns of funding in the six years since it was published necessitate a fresh approach. EH circulated a consultation document Agenda for the future in April 1997, and plans to issue a revised document in early 1998. A central part of the Archaeology Commissions Programme is to promote archaeological research and to provide the framework within which commercial sector work, conducted under PPG-16, can be placed. Most commercially driven archaeological projects are necessarily devoted to the immediate impact of the development process upon the archaeologicalogramme to develop in the coming years, and debate on this is reflected in the Agenda for the future discussion paper.

The list of commissioned projects has been organised to reflect the broad functional context within which the funding was allocated. The figures given for each of the following areas represents the total expenditure on that area in 1996-97.

Development or threat led

Pre-PPG-16 planning consent (£652,134)
Significant archaeological deposits, of national or strong regional importance, 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. Notable work in this area includes the continued work at Boxgrove, and at a number of gravel extraction sites in the Thames valley and throughout East Anglia.

Boxgrove gravel extraction sites in the Thames valley and East Anglia.

PPG-16 assistance (£167,397)
In some cases, archaeological discoveries of national significance may be lost despite the proper implementation of PPG-16. Where a brief for archaeological re coherent frameworks. We would expect this element of thvery effort to comply with reasonable planning conditions, but unexpected discoveries are made, 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 to characterise sufficiently the archaeological resource under threat. Projects planned to explore evaluation techniques and draw upon experiences from a range of European case studies, are currently being developed.

Destruction not covered by PPG-16 (£277,976)
EH provides resources to rescue important archaeological information from sites subject to natural erosion (rivers, hillsides, coastal), agricultural activity (for example long term degradation or ploughing) and other activities outside the planning process (such as treasure hunting). The Monuments at Risk survey has highlighted the continued loss of archaeological resources through these processes, and specific initiatives are being developed to address some of these areas (for example, a series of related projects are currently being commissioned to explore the nature and management of England's Coastal Heritage).

Managing and protecting

Archaeological resource reviews (£528,258)
EH is keen to fund projects aimed at collating and revicording was adequately set, and the developer has maenhance the interpretation of the landscape and to contribute to it 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.

Local Authority Archaeology posts (£120,049)
Assistance was provided to a number of local and regional planning authorities to enhance their development control facilities.

The Monuments Protection Programme (£201,902)
A number of acceleration programmes were undertaken to support the implementation of the MPP. In addition, areas of the heritage poorly understood and protected, most notable our recent industrial heritage, are being explored through a sequence of reports aimed at characterising the nature of the resourt Risk survey has highlighted the continued loss of archaeological resources through these processes, and specific initiatives are being developed to address some of these areas (for example, a series of related projects are currently being commissioned to explore the nature and management of England's Coastal Heritage).

Managing and protecting

Archaeological resource reviews (£528,258)
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 it 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.

Local Authority Archaeology posts (£120,049)
Assistance was provided to a number of local and regional planning authorities to enhance their development control facilities.

The Monuments Protection Programme (£201,902)
A number of acceleration programmes were undertaken to support the implementation of the MPP. In addition, areas of the heritage poorly understood and protected, most notable our recent industrial heritage, are being explored through a sequence of reports aimed at characterising the nature of the resource so that measures to protect it can be put in place.

Farm survey grants (£43,701)
Introduced in 1990-91, these continue to be an important means of improving the presentation and management of the archaeological resource, and increasing local awareness of the importance of archaeological remains.

Excavation/fieldwork projects (£148,690)
EH commissions a number of projects for specific management or research purposes. These are often aimed at informing curatorial decisions regarding specific sites and landscapes.

Extensive and intensive urban strategies (£369,206)
Ongoing programmes to collate information and inform the management of some of our most important urban landscapes. Intensive studies focus on individual settlements, whereas extensive studies attempt a broader understanding of urban centres in a region.

Strategic projects (£447,393)
This category covers projects commissioned for a variety of strategic purposes. Increasingly this category includes projects designed to explore the management of the archaeological resource in England, and to provide assistance in synthesising the results of development-led archaeology into regional research frameworks. With the rise in the number of development-led interventions, and an increasing number of small-scale recording exercises, there is an urgent need to collate and compare the results of this work within a broader context. This is a key feature of the new research agenda being developed at EH.

Dissemination and publication

Pre-PPG-16 analysis projects (£1,801,042)
There are still a considerable number of pre-PPG-16 excavations which, for whatever reasons, received inadequate funding to analyse and disseminate properly the information gathered. A rolling programme of analysis and publication has been designed to bring the most important and significant material to the attention of the discipline and the public. There is no cut-off date to the projects included, rather there is a continuing attempt to extract the most important data and make it available through individual publications, or as part of wider reviews.

Professional infrastructure (£117,786)
EH has substantially increased the resources devoted to this area of activity, as it takes a strong view on the need to develop the infrastructure of the archaeological discipline. To this end new training initiatives have commenced, including resources to assist in the training of development control archaeologists in partnership with the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers, and training for contracting archaeologists in partnership with the Institute of Field Archaeology. In addition, many projects we fund include a strong element of professional infrastructure (eg medieval pottery production centres, mitigation strategies).

In future years, training courses and the production of handbooks and databases will be an important area of funding and suggestions are actively encouraged from the discipline. For further information and an electronic mail suggestion box, see the training site on the Archaeology Division WWW site (http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/training), or email us at archcom@eng-h.gov.uk