Historic Environment Records

Historic Environment Records (HERs) are the mainly local authority-based services used for planning, but they also operate a public service and play a role in education. These records were previously known as Sites and Monuments Records or SMRs: the name has changed to reflect the wider scope of the data they now contain. 

NEW HER GUIDANCE:
Informing the Future of the Past: Guidelines for Historic Environment Records (Second Edition)  www.ifp-plus.info
Edited by Paul Gilman and Martin Newman
The essential set of working guidelines appropriate to all HERs, large and small, and for all staff, volunteers and students involved in managing, running, using or supporting an HER.
It is available free to view on line at www.ifp-plus.info.

The NMR supports the network of HERs by providing a range of services including:

- HER News items: and information via the Heritage Gateway.
- HER Forum: twice yearly meetings with presentations and discussion sessions on issues relating to HERs and an email discussion list.
- Audits: English Heritage provides grants to HERs to carry out wide-ranging audits of their content, resourcing and services to assist them in making improvements.
- Working party: hosted by EH jointly with other professional bodies including ALGAO.
- Free licences: to hold copyrighted data from the NMR.
- Support and advice: for IT companies working with HERs, and on a range of issues including data standards, database design, GIS and funding bids.

For more information please refer to our 2 Information sheets: 

Guide to Historic Environment Records (pdf, 210KB)
Services for Historic Environment Records (pdf, 236kb)

The pdf downloads require Adobe Acrobat viewer to display. this is free software available from Adobe. Download Acrobat here.