Archaeology Service

Hamstead Marshall tunnel

There are over 500,000 years of human activity in West Berkshire, from the stone tools of early prehistoric hunter gatherers to the Cold War structures of the recent past.

The West Berkshire Council Archaeology Service is a small team dedicated to the conservation, enhancement and promotion of this rich and diverse historic environment and our mission is to work with local people to better understand and preserve their heritage.

We do this in a number of ways, by:

Maintaining the West Berkshire Historic Environment Record

Providing archaeological advice on strategic planning policies and on individual planning applications through the Council’s planning and development control process. We recognise that the historic environment is a fragile and irreplaceable resource and we use our knowledge and expertise to ensure that it is not needlessly or thoughtlessly lost. We can do this by collecting and providing information on the historic environment, giving advice and help during the planning process to protect heritage assets and by ensuring that careful records are made of sites that can’t be preserved. To find out more please visit westberks.gov.uk/planningarchaeology

Advancing the conservation of the historic environment by advising on improved land management, for example through agri-environment schemes. Positive management of the historic environment will ensure that heritage assets are preserved for future generations to enjoy. We can give advice to landowners on how to manage archaeological sites, or to communities on how best to engage with their local heritage and ensure that sites of local significance are recognised and valued. To find out more please visit westberks.gov.uk/historicenvironmentmanagement

Championing and promoting the contribution that the historic environment can make to the economy, leisure, tourism and local distinctiveness through programmes of education and outreach. Please see the Resources section (link) for examples of what we can provide.

To find out more, please visit our webpage at www.westberks.gov.uk/archaeology

Greenham Common Cruise Missile shelter