Council introduces Historic Environment Record
An online database of over 50,000 historic buildings and archaeological sites across Highland was launched today (13 August) at The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee.
Members of the PED Committee were given a demonstration of The Highland Historic Environment Record by HER Development Officer, Sylvina Tilbury. The records cover the whole range of human activity in Highland and include prehistoric houses, clearance townships, churches, bridges, notable gardens and shipwrecks.
Councillor Iain Ross, Chairman of the Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee, welcomed the introduction of the online Historic Environment Record and the work that the Planning and Development Service had put into establishing it. He said: “This is an evolving record of information as knowledge is constantly expanding and new discoveries are being made all the time. Our officers are constantly adding to and improving the HER as new information comes to light. I congratulate everyone involved now and in the past who has has contributed to this excellent information tool.”
The online HER is fully searchable using an interactive map. Records include detailed descriptions, particulars of any legal protection, background on fieldwork or other research, information on land use and condition, and sources of further information. There are also many thousands of linked items including photographs, site plans and reports. The HER web pages also feature a range of other interesting resources including themed articles and heritage trails.
Historic Scotland provided funding towards the upgrading and redevelopment of the Council’s former Sites and Monuments Record database, which had to take place before the information could be made available online.
Noel Fojut, Historic Scotland Head of Archaeology, said: “In recent years we have been working with several partners to make the information about the historic environment, held in almost every Council area in Scotland, more accessible to a wider audience. Online access is one of the best ways of achieving this.
“We were delighted to assist The Highland Council with a grant of £10,000 towards the cost of preparing their HER to go online. Highland's project has been so successful that it has already expanded into a national initiative, led by RCAHMS in partnership with ALGAO Scotland, to improve collection and access for digital records of sites and monuments held across the country.”
The main purpose of the HER is to provide a resource upon which professional advice provided by the Council’s Archaeology Unit to other Council services, utility companies, landowners and developers is made. It is also an important resource for research and is used by members of the public, consultants and academics visiting the Highland Council headquarters. The new online HER means that people can now access information about their local area from their own homes or local internet facility.
The HER has been compiled over a period of more than 20 years and sources of information include the National Monuments Record of Scotland; Historic Scotland; the Hydrographic Office, as well as research carried out by Highland Council staff, other professionals, heritage groups and members of the public.
Members of the public can access the Historic Environment Record at / and are invited by the Council’s Archaeology Unit to provide feedback on individual records; and to send photographs or additional information about sites which aren’t already on the record by email via the website, or by post to: The Highland Council, Archaeology Unit, Planning and Development Service, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX.
The HER can also be accessed through the Archaeology pages on the Council website: http://www.highland.gov.uk/archaeology.htm and through the Am Baile website http://www.ambaile.org.uk/ .