New dendrochronological evidence has provided a minimum age for the tree that used to grow at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall before it was illegally felled in September 2023. It was not previously known how long the sycamore had been…
Over the past 15 years, a series of research projects at Wrest Park, a 19th-century country house in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, has revealed in detail how the grounds of this estate evolved over the centuries. This work was recently highlighted during…
Historic England’s laboratories at Fort Cumberland, near Portsmouth, recently reopened after major refurbishment. Carly Hilts visited the new facilities and spoke to Gill Campbell, Jen Heathcote, Ian Morrison, Simon Mays, Francesca Gherardi, and Angela Middleton to learn about some of the latest advances in archaeological understanding to which the site’s specialists have contributed.
As part of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, one of the last acts of the outgoing government was to authorise Historic England to extend the blue plaques scheme to the whole of England.
Historic England has recently listed three properties that have been claimed as the ‘first’ examples of their kind (not, it has to be said, by Historic England themselves – they know better than to invite a pantomimic chorus of ‘Oh no it’s not!’, but the media are not so subtle).
More than 200 radar stations were dotted throughout Britain during the Second World War, although very few survive intact today. A number of these were Chain Home Low, or CHL stations, so named because they could detect enemy aircraft flying…
Between 1943 and 1944, reconnaissance units from the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) trained for combat deployment over the skies of England. They flew over airfields, radar installations, and ancient monuments, as well as major settlements, in order to…
This fox puppet, called Farrah, was made by Historic England in partnership with Emergency Exit Arts to celebrate Hi! Street Fest – the final part of the High Street Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme, which has sought to revitalise high…
'Their stories are still being written – and they won’t be complete until you share your side.'
This Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Battery – located some 350m east of Decoy Farm, to the north of the River Bure, near Mautby, Norfolk – is believed to be the most-complete battery of its type in Britain, and one of only…
Historic England recently published its Heritage at Risk Register for 2022.
Non-conformist chapels and meeting houses have greatly enriched our townscapes, though we have been slow to recognise their merits. Indeed, the late Princess Margaret, when opening the Keele office of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of…
‘The histories of castles and great houses and their inhabitants are well documented, but we know far less about our everyday heritage.'
English Heritage and Historic England archaeologists have been investigating the remains of Richborough’s Roman amphitheatre – uncovering rare traces of painted decorations, as well as insights into the later years of the associated town. Carly Hilts visited the excavation to find out more.
Battersea Power Station is one of several sites to have been removed from Historic England’s ‘heritage at risk’ register, the organisation has announced. The former electricity station in southwest London is in the final stages of an extensive redevelopment project…
The wall will continue to serve as a lasting reminder of the large 3rd- to 4th-century Roman fort of which it was once a part
This summer, the UK gained a new World Heritage site in the form of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, but also saw Liverpool demoted from this status. CA considers these recent changes, and takes a tour of other UNESCO-protected sites within the UK.
Between 1753 and 1763, renowned architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown remodelled the gardens into a landscape park.
Running from May to September 1951, the Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair promoting British design, science, technology, architecture, industry, and the arts.
Repair work will be carried out on the largest surviving remains of the walls of the castle, which was built on the orders of William the Conqueror between 1067 and 1071.
This is the first Roman villa of this style to be discovered in Britain, and possibly in the entire former Roman Empire.
Dr Nat Alcock is a pioneer of the study of medieval cruck-built structures. To honour his contribution and mark his 80th birthday in 2019, a new survey has just been published that charts our growing understanding of cruck construction. It also highlights the remaining areas of uncertainty and debate about the social status of these buildings, when and where crucks originated, and what their distribution means. Chris Catling reports.