LONDON, ENGLAND.- English Heritage is responsible for the National Monuments Record (NMR), one of the biggest public archives in the UK. It holds collections of modern and historic photography as well as information on listed buildings and a specialist reference library. English Heritage is now considering how best the NMR can contribute to the public’s understanding and enjoyment of the historic environment. 

Major questions to be answered about the future of the NMR are: what should the national archive contain? which services are of greatest value? what is the role of national, regional and local institutions in keeping archives and databases? what balance should English Heritage strike between promoting the National Monuments Record and helping other archives to make use of the  information they hold? A consultation paper is being sent to all Local Authority Sites and Monuments Records, special interest groups and archives as well as business users.  English Heritage hopes that members of the public who use the NMR will also spare the time to respond.

Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said; “English Heritage exists to ensure that everyone today and future generations can enjoy England’s historic environment. The National Monuments Record is the nation’s archive. It is crucial to understanding how we lived and is a major resource for future learning. We need to know how we can make it better. This consultation is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the way we develop the NMR.” 

England’s National Monuments Record contains a range of archive and information sources, including over 6 million photographs, plans, drawings and reports. These records have been created by national institutions concerned with national survey programmes and projects, or acquired by them from others. Chief among these institutions are the former Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record, the former National Buildings Record, the National Library of Air Photographs and the archives and information created and acquired by the former Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England which merged with English Heritage in 1999. Extensive external acquisitions include photographs and other records from the magazine Country Life, the work of architectural photographer Eric Lemere and the Royal Air Force. 

The NMR is renowned for photographs of buildings throughout the country and for photographs of England from the air. It is also responsible for the creation of a significant new archive of photographs of listed buildings through the Images of England, a project that will eventually record a snap shot in time of every listed building in the country.        

The NMR maintains a major national database (the Inventory) of indexed descriptions of monuments and buildings, including maritime records, which is linked to computerised mapping and includes bibliographic records. It also aims to provide access to databases of statutorily protected sites such as listed buildings and scheduled monuments. 

The National Monuments Record Centre (NMRC) is in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is a recognised place of deposit under the Public Records legislation. It has high environmental standards for the storage of photographs and other archives and devises services that reflect the varied requirements of its many users. 

The NMR works closely with parallel NMRs in Scotland and Wales and operates in a UK, European and international context especially for common standards on the management of records of the historic environment. The NMR also represents English Heritage in the UK Historic Environment Information Resource Network (HEIRNET) which has a direct interest in information systems within archaeology and the historic environment. 

How to Respond - The consultation paper can be completed online or downloaded and posted to the NMR. To access it through the English Heritage web site, please click here. Alternatively, you are welcome to request the hard copy consultation booklet from the NMR. Please email NMRreview@english-heritage.org.uk.  

If you are a user of the NMR’s enquiry and research service, or the specialist advisory services, English Heritage would also encourage you to complete more specific user questionnaires. Please e-mail NMRreview@english-heritage.org.uk to request copies. Please ensure that you respond by 4 February 2004.