West Sussex County Council: Historic Environment Record (HER)

Links to Sections

• Introduction
• More about the HER and how to request information from the database
• Archaeological investigations

West Sussex has a rich and varied heritage. The patterns created by establishing fields and clearing woodland are as much a part as the great archaeological sites such as hillforts, burial mounds, castles and churches.

In addition, clues to the former environment of the county can be found in pollen and the remains of plants and insects in certain waterlogged or geological deposits. This type of information can provide vital clues to historic climate change and former sea level, and such deposits are in need of protection.

Since the early 1970s, West Sussex County Council has maintained a database of all known archaeological sites and finds, the Historic Environment Record (formerly known as the Sites and Monuments Record).