Our services

Kent has a rich and varied heritage. Thousands of historic buildings, archaeological sites and monuments help us form a real connection with the past and the people who shaped the county.

Kent's heritage belongs to the entire community, not just to archaeologists and historians.

The wider community needs to be involved in the process of discovery and understanding, especially if the county's heritage is to be protected and enjoyed.

Our work

We have a range of services designed to conserve, enhance and promote Kent's heritage.

Our archaeology and development team works in partnership with Kent's planning authorities, developers and archaeologists. We try to ensure that archaeological remains and historic buildings are dealt with appropriately in the planning and development control process.

The Historic Environment Record is used to support this work. This database contains information about 24,000 archaeological sites and discoveries as well as details of nearly 18,000 listed buildings. It also includes information on historic landscapes, excavations and library sources; we hold more than 5,000 archaeological reports and have a collection of aerial photographs covering much of the county from the late 1940s onwards. It is also used for research by academic and amateur researchers, for education, tourism projects and by people interested in their local heritage. For more information look at the Historic Environment Record pages.

It is also used for research by academic and amateur researchers, for education, tourism projects and by people interested in their local heritage.

We provide strategic leadership on heritage issues and input into policies and plans.

A major new historic environment strategy is being developed for the Kent Thames Gateway area. Through the Planarch project, Kent County Council has worked with other partners to improve the role of heritage in the planning processes of north-west European countries.

We have also worked with partners in the UK, France and Belgium to conserve and promote historic fortifications, as part of the Historic Fortifications Network.

We have carried out a number of projects designed to help us understand Kent's heritage so that we can protect and conserve the county's most important assets.

In 2004, Kent County Council completed a survey of 46 small towns in Kent. The historic town surveys described the origins and development of each town and identified their surviving historic assets.

The surveys also considered the potential for the survival of further archaeological remains and suggested a number of important research questions. The surveys are listed on our historic towns section. This project led to new supplementary planning guidance (SPG3) for the Kent and Medway Structure Plan.

In 2001, a Historic Landscape Characterisation for Kent was carried out to assess the form and age of the rural landscape. This is available to view on the Kent Landscape Information System website.

In 2007, we began to develop a South East Research Framework for the Historic Environment with partners in Surrey, and both East and West Sussex. This will identify gaps in our understanding, propose research priorities and help to target funding to where it is most needed.

Shorne Woods Country Park has a Community Archaeologist as part of a Heritage Lottery-funded project. The project aims to identify, investigate and conserve the many different sites within the Park and provides opportunities for the community to get involved in the excavation and survey of the site.

More information about the park can be found by visiting the Shorne Woods Country Park section.

The Finds Liaison Officer works with people using metal detectors and those who have made chance discoveries, to make sure that their finds are properly recorded and identified.

The post is funded as part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. We also give talks and carry out workshops with local history and archaeology societies and other community groups.

The conservation architect provides advice on the built environment and inputs into regeneration and other projects to preserve this heritage.

We also care for numerous historic buildings, such as schools that are owned by Kent County Council and have recently restored our 8 windmills.