OA routinely engages in research and contributes to national strategies

Much of this has been undertaken as part of Historic England’s National Heritage Protection Plan (NHPP), which identifies heritage at greatest risk from destruction.

A number of our projects have looked at the ongoing detrimental effects of arable cultivation on archaeological remains. Our work here has culminated in the development of a risk assessment model, which has been applied to the majority of scheduled monuments at risk from arable farming.

Other projects have examined the risk to ports and harbours from changes required by 21st century use and management, the risk to ploughzone archaeology from a lack of systemic recording, the risk to First World War wireless stations from a lack of awareness of their existence and significance, and the risk to the coastal heritage of Essex from climate change.

Research has also been carried out on specific sites and issues, looking at, for example, the distribution and significance of waterlogged deposits in Carlisle, the characterisation of Gosport, the threat to Cumbria’s assets from mineral extraction, and the 'Lost Landscapes of the Palaeolithic'.

The outcomes of these strategic projects have informed government policies and enabled real changes and improvements in heritage conservation and management to be made.

Click here to read more about our research