South Downs NMP

This National Mapping Programme (NMP) project is part of a wider multi-disciplinary programme of work being undertaken by the English Heritage Landscape Investigation Team and the Aerial Survey and Investigation Team  designed to characterise the archaeology and historic buildings of the proposed South Downs National Park.

The first NMP area, a north-south transect comprising 165 sq km, has now been surveyed. This covers the coastal plain, downland, weald and part of the Adur valley, and includes the Iron Age hillforts, Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring.

Over 10,000 photographs dating from the 1930s to the present day were consulted. These provide an excellent picture of the changing nature of the landscape in the last 50-60 years.  This includes an illustration of the expansion of modern ploughing over much of the remaining downland, something that resulted in serious damage to numerous archaeological sites.

Highlights from the NMP survey include a better understanding of the prehistoric and Roman fields which once covered a considerable part of the Downs. A particularly good example is to the north of Sompting and Lancing, where field shape, size and orientation have been accurately mapped. A number of enclosures, possibly the remains of settlements, and trackways seem to have been in use at the same time as some of the fields.  Various areas of field systems are laid out on a different axis possibly suggesting they were constructed in a piecemeal fashion.

The NMP survey has also highlighted some of the effects of the Second World War on Worthing and the Downs.  Anti-tank cubes, anti-tank ditches, anti-aircraft batteries and air raid shelters are just some of the features identified during the survey.  Many of the wartime features were removed after the war and in some cases the aerial photographs may offer the only way to accurately recreate some of main constructions of the wartime landscape.  The anti-tank cubes that form part of the coastal defence at Worthing can be seen on a photograph taken in January 1943. The anti-invasion measures also included the removal of a section of the pier.

The effect of requisition of the downs for military training can be seen on Barnsfarm Hill and Highden Hill. The dark marks top left and bottom right are probably scorch marks caused by flame throwing tanks. The light coloured curve in the centre is an anti-tank ditch and the narrow dark lines are formed by coiled barbed wire. The dark diagonal line running along the top of the lower group of scorch marks is a Bronze Age or Iron Age cross-dyke.

The report on this pilot project is now available as a downloadable pdf The South Downs NMP - Research Department Report Series 11/2008 and a second area of the South Downs is to be selected for survey.

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.