The South West Heritage Trust has published a monumental State of the Heritage report for the Mendip Hills National Landscape.
The Mendip Hills National Landscape area has a long and varied history of human activity within an ever-changing environment. The archaeological resource of the Mendip Hills is of international importance and provides evidence of over half a million years of occupation, settlement and land use.
There are over 4,800 sites identified on the Historic Environment Records for the National Landscape. Of these only 8% are covered by statutory heritage designations.
The State of Heritage report looks at nine key periods from the Palaeolithic to the Modern. It reviews the archaeological evidence and makes recommendations for future monitoring and protection of this nationally significant landscape.
“This review has demonstrated that the present-day natural landscape that we experience is the result of over 500,000 years of human activity. Our knowledge of the original ‘natural’ landscape and how it has been altered over time is therefore contained within the archaeological record. Archaeology is not only the archive of the human life, but also the natural world. It is not just the vast numbers of archaeological sites that represent and characterise the heritage of the National Landscape, but the threads of continuity between them that shape this area,” Bob Croft, Head of the Historic Environment and Estates, South West Heritage Trust.
“The area contains evidence of human activity which is of both regional and national significance, and in some cases European importance. But the threats to these sites, particularly the undesignated sites, remains a significant concern. They are vulnerable to the effects of agricultural practices like ploughing, scrub/tree growth, visitor erosion and recreational activities, permitted development, and from the effects of climate change. Monitoring and protection should be highlighted as a priority. This needs to run alongside making people aware of the incredible heritage value of Mendip and involving people in its protection,” Jim Hardcastle, Manager, Mendip Hills National Landscape Team.
IMAGES: Mendip Hills National Landscape