Northamptonshire NMP

The Northamptonshire NMP project team are pleased to announce the simultaneous release of the Northamptonshire NMP Project data via the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) and the publication of Mapping Ancient Landscapes in Northamptonshire. This marks the conclusion of the Northamptonshire NMP Research, Dissemination and Archiving Project.

This project was started in 1994 as part of the National Mapping Programme (NMP) and was one of the first to embrace a totally digital methodology. Mapping and recording was completed in 2001 and was following by a scheme of research and analysis and dissemination of the project’s data, funded by English Heritage (EH) and supported by Northamptonshire County Council (NCC).

Mapping Ancient Landscapes in Northamptonshire is published by English Heritage and is authored by Alison Deegan and Glenn Foard with contributions from Alex Gibson and Graham Cadman. It will shortly be available to purchase from the EH online shop. It will also be available to download by chapter from the publication downloads page.

The mapping and recording stage of this project data generated a considerable range and quantity of digital data and much of this is now available via the pages dedicated to the Northamptonshire NMP Project on the ADS website. On the ADS Interactive Map users can view all the Northamptonshire NMP mapping and key information from the associated databases. The Interactive Map can also display the original transcription files, which indicate the photographic source of an individual feature and a distribution plot of the air photographs covering the county. At present the Interactive Map is displayed against 1km and 5km grid lines but there are plans to include base mapping from a service such as Google Maps or Multimap in the future.

These data, including over 450 NCC air photographs, are also available for download. This will enable to the user to manipulate and display the spatial data in their own GIS and to interrogate the wealth of morphological and interpretative information that lies behind this mapping.

The ADS will also maintain the archive of this data.

English Heritage also permitted use of the Northamptonshire NMP project data for a workshop discussion of cropmarks and soilmarks on the clay lands in this county that is now published in Populating Clay Landscapes, edited by Mills and Palmer.

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 NMR English Heritage's public archive.

For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact us at: AerialSurvey@english-heritage.org.uk.