The symposium will bring together speakers from across Europe and North America to consider the impact of heritage sites on society and the economy.  This is crucial because heritage sites are facing an unprecedented threat.  The current economic environment is hastening the long-term erosion of funding sources; this in turn is putting all of us in the heritage sector under increased pressure from funders to measure the benefit of heritage to society, to add value to the visitor experience and to increase self-sustainability.  The evidence for the impact of heritage on society has rarely been studied in a holistic manner and thus one of the key aims of Heritage Impact 2010 is to bring all this information together coherently.

 The key focus of the symposium will be to explore the processes that influence impact at heritage sites. Making informed and accurate assessments of the many values of cultural heritage and determining its impact on society and the economy is crucial for the future of the heritage sector. As the heritage community begins to understand the processes that influence impact, the sector will be in a better position to influence positive future outcomes in turn. Furthermore, if the heritage community can provide evidence of why certain strategies are successful, this information can be put to direct use by heritage sites to exploit their assets most effectively and influence decisions at a policy level.

 Specifically, the conference will look at methods for measuring and evaluating impact; how impact can be influenced or changed through strategy, marketing and policy; how heritage can be used as a regeneration tool, and issues of sustainability. Furthermore, time will be devoted to consideration of the impact of Information and Communication Technologies at heritage sites.  Alongside the presentations, an impact workshop will be run specifically for practitioners who wish to understand more about the methods of measuring the impact of their sites.

 Heritage Impact 2010 will provide an opportunity for key stakeholders – practitioners, academics, policy makers, archaeologists, heritage strategists, heritage technologists and marketing professionals to share and shape the latest thinking, not only on the direction of research, but also on strategies for improving and evaluating impact in the cultural heritage sector. The measurement of impact is seen therefore not merely as an academic or political exercise, but as the cornerstone of future heritage strategy.  The archaeological community needs to express its voice in this crucial debate.

 Heritage Impact 2010 will be held at the University of Brighton, Grand Parade, Brighton, on 22 and 23 April 2010 , For queries contact the Administrator on +44 (0)1273 642135 or e-mail c.r.matthews@brighton.ac.uk.  (to register see www.heritageimpact.org to download a booking form. Completed forms can be faxed to +44 (0)1273 643597 or returned by post  by Friday 16th of April to: Chris Matthews, Heritage Impact 2010 Administrator, University of Brighton Business School, Mithras House (Room 140),Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4AT.

This is an extremely logical suggestion. It is unclear if any account is taken of the additional cost of cleaning stabilizing researching and publishing the information recovered from these objects in establishing an appropriate level of finders reward. Establishing a market value may seem fair but there are costs of ownership which ought to be taken into account. The public benefit of the investment made by the payment of a large finders reward is severely reduced if the consequential funding constraints mean that conservation and publication of the objects cannot take place. We see huge sums of money from public or charitable sources currently being poured into archaeological mitigation consequential on the activities of individuals undertaking what is essentially a private and destructive hobby, which it is hard to justify.

The day was chaired by Professor Barry Cunliffe who stressed that the focus was on illegal and destructive metal detecting, one type of heritage crime, and not about legal detecting and the Portable Antiquities Scheme. He did however comment that his views about the latter had changed from initial scepticism to recognition that the PAS was ‘a spectacular success… and the envy of most of Europe’. For English Heritage Mike Harlow, legal director, described discussions with the police, especially Association of Chief Police Officers about heritage crime. EH are recruiting a police officer for 12 months in 2010–11 with a remit to develop liaison between the various interested parties, draw up a memorandum of understanding between the prosecuting powers as to who does what about different types of heritage crime, create standard impact statements explaining the loss to society resulting from heritage crimes and draw up a strategy for practical approaches in the longer term. Dr Pete Wilson of EH who acts as lead on portable antiquities talked more generally about what they can and are doing about the various recommendations in the Nighthawking report, including plans to look more closely at the real scale of the problem in a hotspot area and a contrasting low risk area (such as the West Midlands where illegal activity may have changed since the publicity surrounding the Staffordshire hoard). Involvement at a local level will include the field monument wardens (now known as Historic Environment Field Advisors or HEFAs) in recording visible or reported nighthawking damage to scheduled monuments, and it is hoped that the local authority Historic Environment Records can do the same for non-scheduled sites.

Jude Plouviez
Rescue Council

The full article is available in Rescue News 109.

I remain certain agriculture is doing far more damage to archaeological sites than metal detecting. There is plenty of evidence for the devastation caused by constant ploughing, especially in the large fields with heavy machinery that have characterised successful arable farming in lowland England for the last 60–100 years. Sites first discovered as ‘black patches’ showing in newly ploughed fields in the 1950’s show now at best as occasional deep features cut into the natural (or nothing at all in the case of many prehistoric settlements). Some good evidence for this destruction derives from metal detecting; if the grave goods typical of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery are found in the plough-soil then the depth of current damage is at least the original depth of the grave.

Jude Plouviez, Archaeological Officer, Suffolk County Council

The full article is available in Rescue News 109.

I use the term treasure hunting as I believe it is the concept of treasure rather than the historical significance of the Prehistoric gold from Stirling or the Anglo Saxon artefacts recovered in Staffordshire which motivates hobby metal detectorists. This is reinforced by the fact that a mainstream metal detecting magazines is called Treasure Hunting.

The Treasure Act (1996) does not apply in Scotland, under Scottish Treasure Trove law the Crown can claim, on behalf of the nation, any object or coin found in Scotland under the laws of bona vacantia.  These laws apply to all newly discovered finds and to all old finds which have not been reported, whether they have been found by metal detecting, by chance, by field-walking or by archaeological excavation. Finders have no ownership rights to any find they make in Scotland and all finds, with the exception of Victorian and 20th century coins, must be reported to the Treasure Trove Unit at the National Museums of Scotland for assessment.

Ed Archer,  RESCUE Scottish Correspondent

The full article is available in Rescue News 109.

The hoard is of European significance, revealing the wealth and cosmopolitan connections of those living in the area between 300 and 100 BC.

This sum once raised will be split equally between the finder, Terry Herbert, and the landowner, Fred Johnson. The landowner, the finder and the two museums which hope to acquire the hoard, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, have all approved the valuation.

For the latest information see http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/artefacts 

Dr David Starkey has launched a fundraising campaign at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, to raise £3.3 million by April 17.to acquire the Staffordshire Hoard, and keep it and display it in the West Midlands where it was discovered.

If the campaign is successful, the Hoard will be jointly acquired by both the Birmingham Museum and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent and all relevant parties are fully in support of this joint acquisition.

Destination Colchester and Colchester Archaeology Trust are together trying to raise funds to buy the Sergeants’ Mess building and garden of Abbey Fields from developers Taylor Wimpey to save a unique site from redevelopment and help preserve Colchester’s town’s unique heritage.

Deadline now February 2010

The Appeal has had the deadline to raise enough money to buy the land containing the 8 starting gates of Britain’s only known Roman chariot racing circus extended, from the end of January 2010 by one month. The gates lie within the front garden of the former garrison sergeants’ mess at the northern end of Abbey Field. This distinguished Victorian Grade 2 listed building is otherwise destined to become private housing, closing off public access to an important section of this unique archaeological site.

The appeal organisers believe that Roman Colchester including the Roman circus, the Roman walls, the Temple of Claudius, the Roman theatre and other sites should become a national visitor attraction, giving the town a strong identity, bringing business into the centre and helping to revitalise Britain’s oldest recorded town.

The aim is to preserve the site as a celebration of the town’s unique Roman heritage. The Sergeants’ Mess building will provide a new and highly appropriate home for the Colchester Archaeological Trust as well as somewhere for people who live, work and visit Colchester to enjoy and learn about our historic past.

Working with local councils and county councils, the majority of the circus site will be transformed into an archaeological park. Where possible, earth mounds will be built to show its great size and provide a view not seen in Britain for at least 1600 years.

Initially, £200,000 is needed to help buy the land.  Since the appeal was launched at the beginning of December it has raised just over £100,000, half-way to the total. It has taken just six weeks to do so, which shows how generous many people have been.

A fundraising event organised for 14th January in the Mayor’s Parlour of Colchester Town Hall to inform, educate, entertain and encourage donations to save Colchester’s Roman Circus, hosted by actor Tony Gardner star of BBC TV’s award winning comedy Lead Balloon raised £10,000 on the night, not including Gift Aid, with of other donations promised to be sent by post or online.

Speakers included Philip Crummy. Director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust who discovered the Roman circus who explained why the Circus mattered and what the Trust had got planned for it, should the appeal succeed, while Sven Wombwell, Garden designer, f ITV’s This Morning revealed his ideas for the design for the garden where the 8 Roman Circus starting gates are located and Philip Wise, Heritage Manager at Colchester Museums spoke about their vision for the Roman Circus.

The appeal has struck a chord both with local residents and supporters from elsewhere with over 1,200 people from all over the country donating hard earned money.

For more details of the appeal and to check on progress see www.romancircus.org/ which has donation facilities , or send donations to Colchester Archaeological Trust, 12 Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 3NF, with your address on the back, or contact Bill Hayton appeals coordinator on 07973 635692.

Useful Links

• Appeal website where you can donate online
• Colchester Archaeological Trust
• Facebook Group for the Campaign

Greenwich Park is an area of intense archaeological interest, within the World Heritage Site.

A Roman temple complex was discovered in 1902 on a mound in the Park by the then Superintendant, A D Webster and the noted Blackheath antiquary, Herbert Jones. Further excavations led by Harvey Sheldon in 1978 – following the felling of Elms on the mound – and in 1999, by Time-Team, for their Millennium series, suggest that the building was part of a temple complex.

The park also contains a Saxon barrow cemtery.

The Royal park is of 15th-century origin, laid out in the 1660s, with continued development until the 20th century and contains some unrivalled garden features, such as the parterre garden designed by Andre Le Notre.