NMP Background
Background to the National Mapping Programme (NMP)
Millions of aerial photographs of England, mainly taken since 1945, are available for study. The map to the left shows the distribution of aerial photographs taken specifically for archaeological purposes and held in the National Monuments Record. Most of the information contained in these photographs is not represented in local or national records; experienced archaeological air-photo interpreters working on the National Mapping Programme produce a synthesis to make the archaeological data accessible to a wider audience.
Projects undertaken by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) in the 1980s in the Yorkshire Wolds (cropmarks) and on Dartmoor (earthworks) showed the great potential of archaeological survey from aerial photographs. NMP pilot projects in Kent, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley and the Yorkshire Dales followed and helped to define a standard methodology and working practices. Full NMP projects began in the 1990s being carried out both by internal staff at the RCHME and by staff in county councils around the country. The programme has since gone from strength to strength and by January 2009 more than forty projects had been completed covering more than 39% of England. Projects continue in various parts of the country and further details of these and previously completed projects can be found on the Aerial Survey regional pages.
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