The Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service provides archaeological advice to local authority planners, developers and their agents, and local people for 31 London Boroughs, and maintains the Historic Environment Record for the whole of Greater London.
For more detailed information see the About GLAAS section.
Why is GLAAS part of English Heritage and not the local planning authority?
GLAAS is strategically located to provide a cost-effective service to the whole region. Elsewhere such a service is commonly provided by county councils. In the absence of one for Greater London, the English Heritage London Region took responsibility for the service. The City of London and London Borough of Southwark have archaeology advisors within their own planning departments.
My property may have archaeology on it. What do I do?
Please contact one of our Archaeology Advisors for advice. In general archaeology will only be affected by major redevelopment, in which case it should be handled in the planning process, which we can advise you on. Occasionally archaeology is encountered in activities such as digging a garden pond, on which there are no formal constraints. We can advise you what to do.
If you find an ancient artefact on your property, this should be reported to the Finds Liaison Officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
If your property contains a Scheduled Monument, you should seek advice from the Inspector of Ancient Monuments. You can find a map of Scheduled Monuments on the MAGIC interactive website.
What does it mean if my property is in an archaeological priority area?
An archaeological priority area is an area specified by Local Planning Authorities to help protect archaeological remains that might be affected by development. It is generally unlikely to affect individual homeowners whose property falls within one of these areas, unless it is located in a particularly sensitive location.
However larger sites in these areas will always be assessed for their archaeological potential when application is made for their redevelopment. We strongly encourage you to contact our Advisors at an early stage should you be considering the redevelopment of a site in these areas.
Who pays for archaeological work in London?
Most archaeological work in London is undertaken either to inform a planning application, or required by planning condition to mitigate the impact of building construction. The work is required of the applicant for planning permission, or the developer implementing a permission, who would normally pay for it.
Some archaeology, particularly research work, both professional and amateur, is funded through English Heritage’s 'Historic Environment Enabling Programme' and a number of charitable trusts and learned societies also make funds available. A selection of these can be found on the Council for British Archaeology website in the 'Grants and Awards' section on this website.
Advice and Assistance
Do I have to pay for GLAAS advice?
There is no charge for GLAAS advice at present.
The Historic Environment Record (HER) charge a fee of £45 + VAT per hour to produce a HER search report of the known archaeology within a requested area. This fee is charged for commercial searches and is not normally charged for academic research and most public enquires. For more detailed information on the SMR see the Greater London Historic Environment Record.
How do I contact you?
For information and contact details for the GLAAS staff please see GLAAS Staff.
How do I find an archaeological contractor?
The Institute of Field Archaeologists has a list of Registered Archaeological Organisations in Britain which includes both contractors and consultants. An archaeological contractor will generally be able to undertake any archaeological work, but you may wish to consider appointing an archaeological consultant to guide you through a project, including the choice of archaeological contractor.
Our Archaeology Advisors can discuss with you exactly what is entailed in any project, and the capabilities you should be seeking when selecting a contractor.
What does archaeological work entail and how much will it cost?
Archaeological work can vary greatly in scale and therefore cost. A desk-based assessment may be relatively inexpensive, whilst a full-scale excavation is relatively costly in terms of both time and money (but usually a small proportion of total development costs). Project costs should include on-site fieldwork, post-excavation assessment and analysis to publication of the results, and the ultimate deposition of the archive.
Archaeological contractors are in the best position to provide realistic costings. Our Advisors are happy to discuss a brief for works with you or your contractors, against which they can quote.
Archaeology in London
Where can I find out more about archaeology in London?
For information please visit The Archaeology of Greater London page or the Museum of London Group website.
How do I find a job or get work experience in archaeology?
There are a number of ways of getting into archaeology and many of these are discussed in detail on the Getting Involved page.
What is the Historic Environment Record (HER) / Sites and Monuments Record (SMR)?
The Greater London HER (formerly called SMR) is a database and report library containing details of over 50,000 records of archaeological sites, artefacts and listed buildings from across Greater London, making it the largest resource of its type in Europe. This data can help commercial organisation, local societies, academic researchers and members of the public in understanding the known archaeology and wider historic environment of Greater London.
The Greater London HER also runs a number of enhancement projects, often in conjunction with other academic or commercial organisations in order to improve and better understand our knowledge of the archaeology of Greater London.
The Greater London Historic Environment Record page contains more details about the Greater London HER / SMR.
How many archaeological sites are excavated in London every year?
Many sorts of archaeological investigation are undertaken every year. These include land survey, fieldwalking, remote sensing (geophysics), field evaluations, borehole surveys, as well as full-scale site excavations. Figures for each year can be found in our Annual Reviews, and further information from the Greater London Greater London Historic Environment Record.
Where do the finds and records from site work go?
All the finds, written records and illustrations from an excavation comprise the site archive. Most site archives from London excavations are deposited with the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre of the Museum of London. Anyone can view and study these finds and records, by appointment.
Some archaeological archives are lodged in local museums as well, please see links to museums and under the individual London boroughs.
What is buildings archaeology?
Archaeology is not only found below ground level, it also survives in the fabric of standing buildings.
The assessment, recording and analysis of historic buildings can provide important information and an understanding of a building’s development and use which may not exist in documentary records alone.
`Understanding Historic Buildings, A guide to good recording practice' English Heritage 2006, provides guidance on levels of recording detail.
Why are Scheduled Monuments dealt with separately?
Scheduled Monuments (SM) differ from other types of archaeology because their location is already known and they are deemed to be of national historical importance. SMs are protected by the Ancient Monuments Act and any modifications are therefore subject to Scheduled Monument Consent at the discretion of central government, currently the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
If you have any specific questions regarding Scheduled Monuments in Greater London please contact the Inspector of Ancient Monuments.
Further information can be found in the guidance paper for the owners or occupiers of Scheduled Monuments.
Who deals with archaeological advice for the City of London?
The City of London provides its own archaeological advice. Any enquires regarding the City of London should be referred to the Senior Planning and Archaeology Officer, see the City of London's Historic Environment and related Planning and Regeneration Department webpages.
Who deals with archaeological advice for the Borough of Southwark?
The London Borough of Southwark provides its own archaeological advice. Any enquires regarding the London Borough of Southwark should be referred to the senior archaeological advisor (contact details can be found on the Archaeology in Southwark page of the Southwark Council website).
