Help with searching
The online Historic Environment Record contains the following types of records:
- Monuments - there is a Monument record for every site, find spot, building etc. recorded in the HER database. These include archaeological features and finds, earthworks, buildings, parks/gardens and historic sites recorded in documentary sources.
- Events - Event records mainly relate to archaeological investigations. These include watching briefs, excavations, evaluations, surveys and historic building recordings. Many of the Events recorded in the HER database have been carried out as part of the planning process. The Event records describe the work that was undertaken. Archaeology identified during an Event is recorded in a separate Monument record linked to the Event record.
- Designations - Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments and Registered Parks and Gardens
The records can be searched using a simple free text search or the map search.
There is also an advanced search option for the Monument records.
Search
The main search page uses a free text search box to search the HER records. Enter a word or phrase and choose to search within the Monument, Event or Designation records (see above). You can also search using an HER record number. There is a tick box to search for an exact match.Advanced Search
This option can be used for a more structured search refined to a specific monument type and/or period. The only Administrative Area covered by the HER is Portsmouth City Council.Site Type
The Site Type search box uses terms from a standardised thesaurus used by every HER in the country. The thesaurus terms are agreed and published by the Forum on Information Standards in Heritage (FISH).To search for a specific monument type start typing a word into the Site Type search box and select one of the matching terms displayed in the box.
Period
You can search by period using the drop down menu in the Time period boxes to select a start and end date for the search.The tick boxes allow you to select whether the time periods overlap or fall entirely within the period/s selected.
Please be aware that when searching entirely within a period/s, any records that overlap with a period that has not been selected will not be included in the search results. An example of this would be a search with the Bronze Age as a start date and the Iron Age as the end date. Any records recorded as spanning the Neolithic to Bronze Age or Iron Age to Roman periods would not be returned by the search as they do not fall entirely within the periods selected.
Please contact the HER if you have a more complex time period search.
Map search
You can move around the map and zoom in and out using the navigation tools in the top right. Click on a record in the map to open the Info box and select a record to view the detailed record page.The following can be controlled using the map menu in the top left of the map.
Search
You can search for a street name, postcode or grid reference.Map Layers
The map layers can be turned on or off. More than one layer can be viewed at the same time.The Designation records are displayed as separate layers for Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments and Registered Parks and Gardens.