The National Mapping Programme for the North York Moors National Park is currently ongoing in partnership with Archaeological Research Services Ltd. The survey is focussed on the most vulnerable areas, concentrating on approximately 28% of the national park. The Moors are rich in archaeology of all periods including Iron Age hill-forts, Roman Forts, castles, abbeys, and a rich array of later prehistoric funerary and settlement sites, as well as the remains of medieval and post medieval industrial processes.
Results so far
One of the immediate observations of the project is the diversity of landscape types and uses throughout the national park, which impact on the forms of archaeology. The types of features mapped to date range from Neolithic funerary monuments to 20th century military activity.
Early RAF photography has produced a valuable insight into the upland environment prior to the 1950s and 1960s when large areas of moorland were reclaimed and improved for modern farming practices. Notable amongst the moorland features visible are a variety of later prehistoric monuments, including field systems, barrows, cairns and dykes.
A combination of complex geology and modern farming practices has influenced the visibility and preservation of some monuments, but has produced a rich array of cropmark sites on arable land.
The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the English Heritage Archive.
For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact us via email using the link above.
