The coast has been occupied for thousands of years. The busy, dangerous waters have, for over 8,000 years, served as a maritime highway for trade conquest and communication. It has been a source of food, fertile land and valuable minerals and rocks. Archaeology on the coast is frequently revealed after severe winter storms blow sands from the dunes, uncovering sites which have been hidden for many years. The dynamic nature of the coastal environment creates particular management issues ranging from the conservation of submerged remains and wrecks to the rapid exposure of buried remains when sand dunes shift in stormy weather. Climate change is another key factor which will change the shape of our existing coast line. Natural England estimate that with sea levels rising globally already by some 3mm per year, at least 13,000 hectares of English shoreline will disappear within the next 20 years.

Archaeo-Environment has considerable experience in coastal archaeology. As County Archaeologist for Northumberland, Caroline Hardie published a ground breaking book on coastal management as far back as 1994 and went on to conserve and interpret a range of coastal monuments. Archaeo-Environment has recently produced a number of coastal Conservation Management Plans, Vision Statements and AONB Management Plan reviews.

Our services include:

• Coastal management advice, inc. issues of climate change
• Coastal interpretation
• Mitigation advice for coastal development
• Coastal landscape characterisation