Historic Environment Record
Central Bedfordshire’s Historic Environment Record is a public record which contains information on all known archaeological sites, historic buildings and historic landscape features in central Bedfordshire. The HER includes written information, plans, illustrations, and aerial and other photographs. It is the core information source for Central Bedfordshire's historic environment and is used by this Council and other local authorities, planners, developers, consultants, schools, colleges and the public. Advice is given on using the Record, and on interpretation and analysis of the historic landscape. We also maintain an Historic Environment Record for Luton incorporated within the Central Bedfordshire record.
The record is free to use for private enquiries, but a charge is made for commercial use (currently £35 per hour or £45 per hour for a remote search). As space is limited and you will need to be shown how to use the record we strongly suggest you make an appointment first to make sure someone is available to help you: E-mail her@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 8091
The Historic Environment Record is also accessible via the Heritage Gateway
In addition to the Historic Environment Record we also provide:
Talks and walks on historic landscape and archaeology
Advice for Hedgerows Regulations on the historic interest of hedgerows.
The Historic Environment Record (HER) is a core information source for every aspect of Bedfordshire's historic environment and contains information on all known archaeological sites, historic buildings and historic landscape features in the county.
The Record has a wide range of uses and is available to everyone. We will advise on whether the Record can help and show you how you can get the most out of it.
The HER holds information on more than 18,200 items of all periods from the earliest human activity (125,000 years ago) to World War II, including stray finds and industrial remains. All Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Listed Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest are recorded together with Registered and other historic parks and gardens. Buried remains and demolished buildings are also included.
Locations are marked on Ordnance Survey maps at scales of 1:10000 or 1:2500 and a digital mapping facility is being developed. Summary information held on computer can be searched to produce lists or indexes sorted by period, area, site type or theme, or a combination of these criteria.
The bulk of the Record consists of record cards with fully referenced textual information derived from a wide range of bibliographic, documentary and other sources, including survey and excavation reports. Information on the development of Bedfordshire's historic landscape in general is also available in the form of parish surveys, presented as archive essays and maps.
Photographs (over 45,000) and slides (over 7,600) and digital images are also held, together with historic and modern maps and plans. A collection of aerial photographs includes over 2,200 oblique views from a variety of sources and over 3,000 vertical prints of the county taken by the RAF, mainly during the later 1940's. More recent countywide vertical aerial photography for a number of years is also held in the Section.
Additional information and newly identified sites or features are continually being added to the Record, from aerial survey, planning casework, documentary research and fieldwork (including fieldwalking, survey and excavation by both professional archaeologists and local societies or individuals).
The Record can be consulted in person at Borough Hall by prior appointment during normal office hours, Monday to Friday. If it is not possible to visit, written, telephone or e-mail enquiries may be dealt with depending on the nature and quantity of the information required and subject to payment for any photocopies. We may charge for dealing with commercial requests.
Details of local services provided by other organisations.