An Historic Environment Research Framework for Kent and the South East
The archaeology, buildings and historic landscape of South East England (Kent, Surrey and Sussex) comprise an outstanding inheritance which helps to give the region its distinctive character and sense of identity. They are also a rich resource for education, research and leisure and can provide meaning in the context of current growth and regeneration agendas. What precisely do we know about this region's past? What are the questions we want and need to answer? How can the past inform the present and beyond? This is what the South East Research Framework, which has just started, is all about. It is an opportunity for all those with a stake in our heritage to take stock and to look to the future, both in terms of developing understanding and also in respect of how limited resources can be targeted.
The South East has been important since prehistoric times as the nearest point of contact to mainland Europe. This has had a positive impact in terms of trade and the transmission of new ideas but the Channel coast and its hinterland have also constituted a barrier to threats from mainland Europe and helped provide stability for the development of England. We have a heritage which is impressive both for its scale and its diversity.
The first task for the project will be to produce a Resource Assessment, a concise statement of current knowledge of the archaeology and history of the region. Those with interests in the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, the Bronze Age and Iron Age, the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Post-medieval and Modern periods, working in groups, have already begun collating and analysing the enormous amount of evidence available. These Period Groups will circulate the results of their research to one another, and beyond, and meet to discuss findings, as well as priorities. The project will include a number of Thematic Groups, which will look at aspects of the region's past that cut across traditional time divisions. The themes include Industrial and Environmental Archaeology, Urban and Historic Landscapes, Maritime Archaeology and Defence.
It is important that the wider archaeological community contributes to the project, and there will be a number of different ways in which we all can actively participate. Public seminars dealing with all Period and thematic subjects are planned for later in the year. The seminars will be advertised on the project webpage (housed within the KCC website) and elsewhere. The seminars are open, along with any discussion arising, will be posted on the web page and anyone will be able to contribute comments via an email facility. Texts will also be circulated via alternative means for wider comment.
The Resource Assessment will enable us to build a list of the gaps in our current understanding of the South East's historic environment. It will then be possible to develop a Research Agenda. In producing this "wish-list" there will continue to be opportunities for wider discussion and contribution. Finally, a detailed Strategy for investigating the Historic Environment of the South East will be drawn up and published along with the Resource Assessment. Because the project is envisaged as a collaborative process, inclusive of as many viewpoints as possible, it is hoped that the resulting Research Framework will make a definite contribution to the future of our shared historic environment.
The SERF project is very much a partnership project, hopefully involving all sectors of the archaeological community in the four counties, although the management of the project will be based with the Heritage Conservation Group of Kent County Council. We are very grateful to English Heritage for their financial support for the project.
Jake Weekes