research – Industrial Heritage Networks

The next round of the AIA’s research grant scheme, for 2023, is now open for applications. These grants are one of the ways in which the Association looks to deliver its aims. The scheme is designed to: encourage individual researchers to study industrial archaeology subjects; encourage the development of industrial archaeology skills within commercial units, the main repository of professional skills in the subject; to support local industrial archaeology and industrial heritage societies in exploring and understanding their local areas; and help to develop the next generation of industrial archaeologists.

In previous years the AIA has supported local society and university researches studying subjects such as Caribbean plantations, 18th century workers’ grafitti, and lime kilns as ways of aiding the understanding, preserving, and presenting industrial archaeology and heritage. The latest round of applications is open until the 31st January 2023. The total fund available in any single year is £1,500 and multiple grants may be given up to this maximum in a single year. The AIA may consider part-funding a wider grant application or project as long as the AIA grant is a significant part of the larger application / project.

Click to download full details and an application form (.pdf 43kB)

If you have any further questions please contact the coordinator: research-grants@industrial-archaeology.org

*Mining spoil heaps in North Yorkshire. Copyright Historic England.*

For the first time ever, Historic England has made the results of over 30 years of aerial photograph mapping projects freely available online. The public can use the new research tool to explore heritage from ancient settlements to secret Cold War military installations, or to see the complex archaeological landscapes of Hadrian’s Wall, Stonehenge, and industrial landscapes.

The Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer lets you explore the layers of archaeology in and around your local place. You can browse the map and zoom in to the location you’re interested in or search by postcode, address or place name. Follow this link to explore the website: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/aerial-archaeology-mapping-explorer/

The map brings together the results of numerous projects undertaken by specialists at Historic England and its predecessor organisations since the late 1980s, as well as many partner organisations.  Hundreds of thousands of aerial photographs, ranging in date from the 1920s to the present, have been studied. More recently, innovative technologies such as lidar – airborne laser scanning – and web-based sources, such as Google Earth, have been added to the sources used. Every site has a simple description with links to the full Historic Environment records held online. For most of the areas there is also a free report detailing the highlights and new discoveries encountered in each project.

The Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer, alongside complementary resources such as Historic Environment Records available via Heritage Gateway, offers a springboard to further investigation, whether for research purposes or simply curiosity about the area where you live. It should be especially useful for researching industrial archaeology and heritage sites.

A screen shot of a GIS system displaying archaeological features around Hadrian's Wall mapped by aerial survey methods.

An example of how the aerial photographs and LIDAR data are interpreted on the new Historic England mapping explorer.

Tag: research

AIA Industrial Archaeology Research Grants Now Open

Historic England Launches Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer