Are you carrying out local history research in West Berkshire? Did you know that West Berkshire Council maintains a database of known buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas and landscapes of archaeological, architectural, artistic and/or historic interest, along with associated documentary sources such as books, maps and unpublished reports? This is the West Berkshire Historic Environment Record or HER, the primary index for the physical remains of past human activity in West Berkshire: www.westberks.gov.uk/her. It is my role as part of the curatorial archaeology team to manage the HER, which the Principal Archaeologist, Sarah Orr, uses to advise on development and land-use changes: www.westberks.gov.uk/archaeology.
The HER is also a public record that contributes to research and education, and we want to promote public participation in the exploration, appreciation and enjoyment of local heritage. We make many of our HER records freely available on the Heritage Gateway online portal: www.heritagegateway.org.uk and on the Council’s online map: https://tinyurl.com/yubeabj3. We give talks to local groups, contribute to exhibitions at West Berkshire Museum, run activities for the annual Festival of Archaeology and were at the online Berkshire Heritage Fair in 2022, for example. I regularly post about West Berkshire’s history and historic environment on social media too. Please follow us!
- www.facebook.com/WestBerkshireHeritage
- https://x.com/WbHeritage
- www.instagram.com/west_berks_heritage
The HER is a dynamic information system, which means it is constantly being updated with the results of new fieldwork and research. However, our records are only as good as our sources and this is where you can help us! If you are researching aspects of West Berkshire’s historic environment, please let me know, so I can add the information to the HER, ensuring that your knowledge is not lost, and is taken into consideration in future development proposals and research projects. Please also get in touch if you spot any missing or incorrect information in our records.
Land ownership or genealogical information is not recorded in the HER unless the person is famous or locally important, or if the information has a bearing on the significance or physical aspect of a site.
Sarah and I are joined by Dr Philip Smither, the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s (PAS) Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for all of Berkshire. The Scheme is run by the British Museum and Museum Wales to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. All the finds recorded by the PAS are made publicly available on its online database: https://tinyurl.com/2t3xz2uh and some West Berkshire artefacts are currently on display in West Berkshire Museum’s ‘Treasure Through Time’ exhibition: https://tinyurl.com/4pus2cpd.
If your research interests are in eastern Berkshire, the HERs of the other five councils (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham) are maintained by Berkshire Archaeology, based at the Royal Berkshire Archives.
Beth Asbury
Assistant Archaeologist (HER and Outreach)
West Berkshire Council
