The coast of England, comprising in-shore waters, the inter-tidal zone, river estuaries, the sea-shore, and its immediate hinterland, contains a rich and diverse archaeological heritage. These remains include submerged prehistoric landscapes, inundated as sea-levels have risen since the last ice age, which exhibit far better levels of preservation than their terrestrial counterparts. In addition, a wide variety of coastal archaeological sites and historic buildings survive, providing a record of our historic relationship with the sea, and our development as an island and sea-going nation.
Since its creation, English Heritage has been actively involved in grant-aiding and participating in archaeological survey on the coast, sponsoring projects in a variety of locations including Essex, Northumberland, the Solent, Humberside, and the Isles of Scilly. In order to assess the results of this accumulating body of survey work and to provide a strategic base for future survey initiatives, EH and the RCHME jointly commissioned a desk-based national survey of coastal archaeology in England from the Universities of Reading and Southampton. The project took place between 1993 and 1996, culminating in two publications in 1996 "England's coastal heritage: a statement on the management of coastal archaeology" was published in June 1996, and the full project report, England's Coastal Heritage: A survey for EH and the RCHME by M Fulford, T Champion and A Long eds, (EH Archaeol Rep 15) was published in 1997. Throughout the project, EH and the RCHME have worked together very closely. They will also continue to co-operate on the implementation of the recommendations, exemplifying the recently agreed arrangements for closer joint working.
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The report examines the extent and quality of our information on the archaeology of our coasts, paying particular attention to remains situated in the inter-tidal zone, or actively eroding from the coast edge. It does not include a detailed assessment of the sub-tidal archaeological resource because this has its own particular management requirements, and because the basic record of marine remains was still being compiled by the RCHME while the coastal archaeology survey was being carried out. The report provides a chronological overview of the evidence as well as regional assessments of available information and any gaps in our understanding. It also provides a synthesis of existing knowledge on historic sea-level change and coastal evolution, and provides a model for understanding the context of coastal sites. The results of survey work carried out to date are assessed and the various methodologies which have been adopted for survey are appraised. The project also evaluates the range of pressures on coastal archaeology, including the implications of rising sea-level, and examines the managerial framework needed for the coast, and the means by which archaeological concerns can be properly integrated within that framework. The report discusses these issues, provides a number of management case studies, and concludes with a range of management and survey recommendations for the future.
The non-technical summary and policy statement, "England's coastal heritage: a statement on the management of coastal archaeology", was aimed at coastal managers and planners with no direct involvement with archaeology, as well as members of the profession. It was published in advance of the main project report in order to add an archaeological dimension to the very active consideration of coastal management taking place, and to inform a number of key coastal management initiatives due for completion in 1996-97. Extensive distribution of the leaflet has brought the recommendations to the attention of large numbers of coastal managers, at strategic and operational levels. In addition, it has ensured that archaeological considerations have been included in policy documents such as the Department of the Environment's Coastal Zone Management: Towards Best Practice, published at the end of 1996 and the emerging strategic guidelines for the Solent.
The policy statement sets out a series of key principles which should underpin the management of coastal archaeological remains. Amongst these is the recognition that the archaeological remains of our seaboard often belong to seamless historic landscapes which extend from dry land, through the inter-tidal zone, and onto the sea-bed. Despite the difficulties of access to marine and inter-tidal archaeological remains and differences in the arrangements by which the sea and land are managed, such remains are no less important than those situated on dry land, and they should be managed in accordance with the principles which apply to land based archaeological remains.
Paradoxically, due to an anomaly in the present statutory arrangements, EH has only limited powers in respect of sub-tidal archaeology, and is currently unable to adopt a seamless approach to managing the coastal archaeological resource. The Government's proposal in the 1996 Heritage Green Paper, "Protecting Our Heritage", to widen those powers and enable EH to play a full role in managing marine archaeology, was therefore welcomed by EH and by archaeologists active in underwater work. In the interim, EH has identified further survey work on the coastal strip, and in the inter-tidal zone, as an important strand in its Archaeology Division Research Agenda, ensuring that it continues to play an active role in this area.
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During the year, a number of EH sponsored coastal projects were completed and published. "The Early Environment of Scilly" presented the results of coastal survey on the Isles of Scilly, undertaken between 1989 and 1993, and involved a small scale sampling programme to assess the palaeo-environmental potential of sites exposed on the coast, and the value of inter-tidal peat deposits for reconstructing the vegetational record of Scilly and its history of sea-level rise. The results have demonstrated the immense value of a programme of carefully targeted limited interventions. The Fal Estuary Historic Audit, undertaken by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit, was published in April 1997. This project represents the first study in England, of the archaeology and history of an entire estuary. The work was carried out in support of the Falmouth Bay and Estuaries Initiative, part of English Nature's national Estuaries Initiative, in order to ensure that heritage concerns were adequately reflected in the strategic guidelines being drawn up for managing the Fal. The survey doubled the number of SMR entries for the estuary, and provided a broad characterisation of its archaeology. Encouragingly, the model provided by this survey has been adopted by the Environment Agency who have commissioned similar studies of the Camel and Hayle estuaries. The highest area of priority identified by the "England's Coastal Heritage survey" (Fulford, Champion and Long, 1997) was the Thames Estuary which has high archaeological potential and is subject to a wide variety of pressures, including large-scale development. There is an urgent need for systematic survey work (particularly on the north coast of Kent), and in order to establish survey priorities for the estuary, EH has grant-aided the production of a regional research framework by Essex and Kent County Councils, with publication scheduled for early in 1998. Amongst the issues to be considered by the research framework are the complex industrial remains of the estuary.
Interesting light was shed on a coastal industry as a result of beach erosion at Tankerton, near Whitstable in Kent, following fierce storms which revealed an unusual series of triangular enclosures, defined by wooden stakes. A clue to their function is provided by an eighteenth-century map which depicts similar features adjacent to copperas houses. This early chemical industry, established in Tudor times, manufactured iron sulphate for use as a fixative in the dyeing process. The demand for brightly coloured clothes made investment in this activity extremely lucrative. The raw material was provided by a fossil deposit collected from the beach, and coal required for the extraction process was shipped direct to the site. Investigations by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust rapidly recorded the stake structures and associated working floors, which were stained brilliant red and yellow by chemical byproducts, and work is currently in hand to relate the excavated evidence to the historical records of this poorly understood industry.