Warcop ATE NMP

At the request of Defence Estates, the Ministry of Defence’s Army Training area at Warcop, Cumbria, was surveyed as part of the National Mapping Programme (NMP) between July and September 2002. An area of approximately 74 square kilometres was mapped, which was confined to the boundary of the training area, rather than whole 1:10,000 Ordnance Survey quarter sheets.

The land rises from the valley of the River Eden in the south west of the project area to the Pennine hills, which extend over much of the area. Numerous becks dissect the fells and moorland areas, which are covered in blanket peat. Most of the area lies within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and some parts are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The NMP project has discovered new sites, in addition to accurately mapping known sites, some of which were already scheduled. The mapping enabled Defence Estates to produce and implement an Integrated Land Management Plan, including a conservation plan for the archaeology within the military training area. The data provided the foundation for further fieldwork and ground survey that could evaluate the condition of the archaeological sites and produce an integrated record within a GIS system.

Large areas of the training estate are currently used for pasture, primarily sheep grazing, but there has been settlement in the past, ranging from the Bronze Age to the post medieval period and there is extensive lead and copper mining concentrated around valley of Scordale Beck. Some of the features relating to the army's use of the training estate such as firing ranges, targets, trenches and bunkers are also of interest.

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.

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.