HERs and SMRs in Scotland

[Magpie]

As a English man living in deepest Wessex I do not know much about how HERs and SMRs are organised in Scotland. Are they organised on a county basis as in most of England or with Archaeological trusts as in Wales or some other way ? Perhaps one of our Scottish colleagues or even Mr. Hosty could explain.

Thanks

Magpie

[BAJR Host]

Mixed bag… here are the details:

I have to say that the Perth and Kinross online SMR is a fave (try and work out why!!)

WoSAS itself covers twelve Scottish Councils and serves a wide range of functions including maintaining the regional Sites and Monuments Record

website www.wosas.org.uk
Covering the former counties of Ayrshire, Argyll, Dunbarton, Lanark, Renfrew & the City of Glasgow, WoSAS employs five archaeologists who provide planning and development advice to councils in this area (except for East Dunbartonshire). It is also able to provide SMR information for agri-environment schemes. The SMR is GIS based. Public access to the SMR is not possible. Agri-environment concerns should be addressed to Paul Robins or Dr Carol Swanson. Advice on forestry concerns is currently under discussion with the Forestry Commission. Site visits sometimes possible depending on location. As of April 2004, the archaeology service also now provides advice to West Lothian council in relation to planning applications.


Here are the rest

Aberdeen City
Aberdeen Museum's Service employ Dr Judith Stones and Alison MacLeod, as well as a floating number of assistant archaeologists depending on development pressures within this historically important burgh. The SMR is GIS based. Public access is not possible.

Aberdeenshire (Moray & Angus)
website www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/archaeology/

Ian Shepherd, the Principal Archaeologist, deals with planning and development issues. For Forestry & Agri-environment issues consult Moira Greig, Archaeologist, or Bruce Mann. Site visits for both forestry & agri-environment schemes are sometimes possible. The SMR, which includes a good set of Aerial Photographs, as well as 1st and later map editions, is GIS based. Moray and Angus have a service agreement with the Aberdeenshire SMR.

City of Edinburgh
John Lawson is the Edinburgh City Archaeologist. Though primarily concerned with development control work in the medieval & later burghs of Edinburgh and Leith, the council area does include rural areas to the south west. GIS capability for the SMR is planned for the end of June 2005. (spot the date!)Public access to the SMR is not possible. Site visits may be possible.

Dumfries & Galloway
Jane Brann is employed by Dumfries & Galloway Council with the temporary assistance of Andrew Nicolson. The SMR is GIS based and includes some aerial photograph and earlier OS map information. Public access is not possible. Site visits for forestry and agri-environment schemes sometimes possible.

East Lothian (Midlothian)
websitewww.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0.1094.3617.00.html

Biddy Simpson is employed by East Lothian Council. The East Lothian Sites and Monuments Record is GIS-based. The archaeologist is able to supply management advice and carry out site visits for both forestry & agri-environment schemes. The Archaeology Service via David Connolly also now provides archaeological advice to Midlothian Council in relation to planning applications. The development of a Midlothian Sites and Monuments Record is under discussion and it is hoped that advice for forestry and agri-environment schemes will be developed shortly.

Falkirk
websitewww.falkirk.gov.uk/cultural/museums/arch.htm

Dr Geoff Bailey is employed by the Museum's Service of Falkirk Council. The SMR is not GIS based. Access to the SMR is not possible. Site visits may be possible.

Fife
websitewww.fife.gov.uk/atoz/index.cfm?fuseaction=service.display&objectid=99FD88CB-5BB8-46E0-BBD01451DF4AD4

Douglas Speirs runs Fife Council's Archaeology Service. The SMR has GIS capability and includes earlier OS and aerial photograph cover as additional layers on this system. Site visits for both forestry & agri-environment schemes are sometimes possible.

Highland
website www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/conservation/archaeology

Dorothy Maxwell, Principal Projects Officer, manages the archaeology unit, Hilary White is North Highland Archaeologist, Kirsty Cameron is South Highland Archaeologist. The SMR is GIS based. Public access by appointment. Site visits only occasionally possible. Archaeology is recognised as an important element in social regeneration and has benefited from a number of initiatives in the Highlands, in particular Highland Archaeology Week.

Orkney
website www.oat.org.uk/main.html

The Orkney Archaeologist, Julie Gibson, is employed 4 days a week (Mon-Thur). Public access to SMR by arrangement. GIS not currently available. Site visits usually possible. Archaeology enjoys a high status in Orkney due to the quality of the surviving remains. This is in reflected in the World Heritage Status for the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

Perth & Kinross
website www.pkht.org.uk

Archaeologists David Strachan and Sarah Winlow, along with Architect Andrew Driver are employed by Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust. A GIS-based Historic Environment Record is available for public consultation by arrangement and site visits for forestry & agri-environment can be made. The Heritage Trust is active in the conservation and promotion of the historic environment in the Perth & Kinross area.

Scottish Borders
website www.scottishbordersheritage.co.uk

Mr Rory McDonald, the archaeologist for Scottish Borders, is part of the the Countryside and Heritage Team. The archaeologist is able to provide Planning and Development advice as well as information and management advice for Agri-Environment and Forestry enquiries. The SMR is GIS based and includes some aerial photographic and earlier OS map information but there is no public access. Some site visits for may be possible.

Shetland
website www.shetland-heritage.co.uk/amenitytrust

Shetland Amenity Trust employs two archaeologists, Val Turner and Owen Cambridge, who have a high profile in the local community. The website contains information on their activities, particularly the long-running and popular excavation at Scatness Broch. Public access to the SMR is restricted. GIS mapping is not currently available. Site visits usually possible for both forestry & agri-environment schemes.

Stirling (Clackmannan)
websitewww.stirling.gov.uk/index/services_homepage/planning/archaeology.htm

Lorna Main is employed as Stirling archaeologist. There is a service agreement to supply SMR information and advice to Clackmannan. The SMR is GIS based. Public access is available by arrangement. Site visits for both forestry & archaeology may be possible.

Western Isles
website www.cne-siar.gov.uk/archaeology/

Mary Macleod is employed by Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean). The SMR is GIS based. Public access is limited. Archaeology is increasingly recognised in the Western Isles as a resource for attracting visitors and emphasising community identity. Site visits are sometimes possible.

To see all the SMRs online go to
http://www.bajr.org/whosewho/SMR.asp




"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[diggerhobbit]

Thankyou to Magpie for this post and also to the reply by Mr. Hosty - I myself had been wondering about the SMR setup in Scotland and the Northern Isles for some research I am doing, so this has been a tremendous help - thankyou very much! :D

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[Gog]

Why is public access not possible to so many Scottish SMRs - do the Scottish taxpayers not fund them?

[Magpie]

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply Mr Hosty. I could not have wished for such a great response.

Magpie

[BAJR Host]

The huge organisation of BAJR has round the clock 24 hour staff in call centres and sweat shops (or is that sweetie shops? ed) dealing with your enquiries.. Our staff of almost one and a half know that information is power.. and like to be info brokers to UK archaeology...

seriously though... (I just know where to get hold of stuff) ! ;)

its like the lists on other sites... no point waiting for units or councils to come to you and let you know... you have to go and find every bleedin one first... Obsessive Moi!!

And yes Gog... the trouble with SMRs in SCotland is one of access.. most of us up here have a single room or are not even in some cases even digital.. [:p]

In England the County Mountie usually has a range of people 'below' to carry out a range of work...(DC, SMR Outreach etc maybe even a contact Unit) here however the single person is the norm... with of course exceptions... Perth and Kinross for example... but to do so... they kind of split from the council a bit..and became a Trust.

At the moment there are a couple or Three Online SMRs (the way to go - See Steves Googlemap thread) - I also know that East Midlothian will be there quite soon... but access is patchy ... and appointments have to be made to come in.. (which is a bit crap) Online means accessible... but you have to be able to ensure that different levels are catered for (school kid to Professional) without actually being there.

My wish for the future is a real integrated and professional HER/SMR service for Scotland.. I can say that we are heading that way (I'm on the SMR tech Forum) and it is the way to go.



"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Gog]

More cash to Scottish SMRs I say - enough of this working in lonely garrets by candlelight. More power to your elbow, Mr Hosty:D

[BAJR Host]

Yesh Pleash (Sean Connery accent applicable)

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[kevin wooldridge]

Would the Heritage White Paper proposal/recommendation on statutory access to HER's apply to Scotland?

[1man1desk]

quote:Would the Heritage White Paper proposal/recommendation on statutory access to HER's apply to Scotland?

No - England and Wales only.

It has to be said that, although the situation in Scotland is far from ideal, it is a lot better than it was when I worked in Scotland (4 years in the early '90s). Then, large parts of the country had no SMR at all and no archaeological advisor.

Some of the SMRs that did exist were so poor that even archaeologists didn't bother to use them - we just went to the NMRS instead. Some SMRs existed, but there was no archaeologist in post to maintain or use them.

In the council I worked for (as a temporary Project Officer), the Council Archaeologist was a part-time post; the holder was employed full-time, but also served as an Assistant Keeper of Social History in the local museum service. Even then, the post was left vacant for several years. The SMR was a two-drawer card-index that could fit comfortably on one corner of a desk, and even the Council Archaeologist himself never bothered to use it.

That particular council had improved enormously before I left (mainly due to the lobbying and other efforts of the then Council Archaeologist), and has improved more since (under the same chap and his successor), while some other councils that had no archaeologist and no SMR do now have them.


1man1desk

to let, fully furnished