Ancient monument

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Ancient monument (disambiguation).
Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric ancient monuments.

In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest.

Ancient monuments are defined by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979[1] as

  • any scheduled monument (of which there are currently more than 20,000[2]); and
  • any other monument which in the opinion of the Secretary of State is of public interest by reason of the historic, architectural, traditional, artistic or archaeological interest attaching to it.

Although the term ancient monument is used, the current definition places no requirement on the monument being old, and some would be considered modern: for example, the Greenham Common Cruise Missile Shelter is an ancient monument (it is a scheduled monument).[3][4] The terms dates back to the original Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 when only truly 'ancient' monuments were considered for protection, all of pre-medieval age.

The term monument is widely defined, and can be anything that is:

  • A building or structure, cave or excavation which is above or below the surface of the land; or on / under the sea bed within UK territorial waters (or a site that contains the remains of one).
  • A site comprising any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or other moveable structure (or contains the remains of one).[1]

Some ancient monuments are unusual, for example a scale-model replica of the Mohne Dam in Hertfordshire is a scheduled monument, and thus an 'ancient monument'.[3][5]

Scheduled monuments receive enhanced legal protection, and permission is required for works relating to them. Even if not a scheduled monument, there are still legal powers relating to ancient monuments: for example, they may be subject to compulsory purchase by the government.[6] It is a criminal offence to damage an ancient monument which is owned by a public body, just as it is a criminal offence to damage any scheduled monument.[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979". 4 April 1979. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Scheduled Monuments" (PDF). Department for Culture, Media and Sport. March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-04. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b Historic England (10 October 2016). ""I'm Sorry But What Is a Scheduled Monument?"". The Historic England Blog.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Cruise missile shelter complex, Greenham Common Airbase (1021040)". National Heritage List for England.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Replica of the Mohne Dam, in the grounds of the Building Research Establishment, Garston (1020749)". National Heritage List for England.
  6. ^ Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 section 10
  7. ^ Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 section 28

External links[]


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