By being placed on the Schedule of Ancient Monuments, the 19,748 archaeological sites currently on the list are recognised as being amongst the most significant of the literally hundreds of thousands of archaeological remains that lie on and beneath the surface of England.
They range in date from prehistoric barrow mounds and hillforts to 20th-century industrial and military sites, providing immense historical depth to the places in which we live. However, they are often fragile and easily damaged. Once lost, they can never be replaced.
The Current Situation
Despite some progress with 238 monuments being removed from the Register over the last year, this was offset by the addition of 189 new cases. The net result therefore is only a modest reduction in the proportion of scheduled monuments at risk, the 2011 Register confirming that the total has now fallen to 16.9%. Although positive management work over the past year has stabilised 46 monuments which were previously under threat from ploughing, damage from cultivation is still the greatest cause of risk, affecting over 40% of those on the Register.
The need for further assessment work in this key area has therefore been recognised in English Heritage's National Heritage Protection Plan. Following a successful pilot in the East Midlands, a Conservation of Scheduled Monuments in Cultivation project will begin nationally in 2011. Although generally much longer term and gradual in their effects, degradation and decay as a result of natural processes, such as scrub and tree growth, erosion and burrowing animals, come a close second, affecting around 35% of monuments on the Register.
Practical paths to stability
Because they have few practical uses, scheduled monuments are more likely to be at risk from neglect and decay than listed buildings or landscapes, particularly so in circumstances where owners may already be having to make difficult economic choices . However, the steps needed to bring them back into a stable condition are often relatively simple and inexpensive. The majority of rural sites at risk can also be restored to good condition in ways that are also beneficial to environmentally sustainable land management, and this is multi-objective approach continues to be key to the success of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affair's Environmental Stewardship scheme in improving the condition of many hundreds of monuments.
However, some monuments do require significant investment to stabilise their condition or to carry out repairs. In these cases close co-operation is needed between owners, land managers and English Heritage in order to discuss potential sources of grant aid.
