Winchester’s Historic Environment Record (HER) is the comprehensive and definitive record of the historic environment of the Winchester District and includes information on all aspects of the past from the earliest traces of human occupation up to the present day.  It is an important starting point for conservation, fieldwork and research into the historic environment and is used for land-use planning, in Heritage Statements required for planning applications, conservation, research, tourism, education and local history projects.

Information contained in the HER is derived from a variety of sources such as archaeological reports, published sources, historic maps, aerial photographs and research.

The HER holds nearly 18,000 computerised records of archaeological sites, historic buildings, other notable sites of historic interest and archaeological events. Information is also available on Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Registered Battlefields and Registered Parks and Gardens.

A detailed sub-set of the HER comprises the Urban Archaeological Database, covering the historic city and environs of the historic city of Winchester.

The Historic Environment Record will never be complete, as new finds and discoveries are made almost every day; maintaining the updating the data in an ongoing task.

Please note that information on finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme is not directly entered into the HER. Information from the Portable Antiquities Scheme website can be viewed alongside the HER data by searching the PAS website. A link to the PAS website is given on the right hand side of the page.  

You can browse a summary version of the monument data from Winchester’s HER through the Heritage Gateway website (link on right of page). This national database provides access to local authority HERs across the UK, as well as the National Monuments Record Excavation Index and the National Heritage List for England.

The Heritage Gateway should not be used as a substitute for the full range of datasets held by the HER as a substitute source of information by those conducting commercial archaeological work. 

Enquiries and Searches

A charge is made for commercial enquiries, but not for educational or personal research enquiries. Please refer to the HER Access and Charging policy for current rates and circumstances where a charge will be made before requesting a data search. The HER Access and Charging Policy and our HER Enquiry Form (LINK to form) and User Declaration are available to download on the right side of the page. The completed Enquiry Form and User Declaration should be emailed to tmatthews@winchester.gov.uk.  

If you would like information about a specific building or monument it may be simpler to consult the Heritage Gateway or email us.