A timely new initiative is developing ways to rapidly assess and record heritage sites at risk of accelerating coastal erosion related to climate change.
Films and Podcasts
You can find loads of information and fascinating discussion about Seaford Head in the below videos and podcast episodes. These feature archaeologists, town councillors, heritage professionals and more talking about the site and the wider issues facing our sector.
Podcast also available wherever you get your podcasts, search Archaeology South-East Digs Deeper
Report and Data
Coming soon!
About the project
The project aims to assess and record the archaeology of Seaford Head before it is lost to coastal erosion.
It also trials the use of digital tools to engage local communities, starting a conversation about coastal change and its wider implications.
The project will be a replicable template for other heritage agencies, landowners, and community groups facing similar threats to their local heritage to help plan and deliver local responses.
Survey is already underway! Copyright: Chip Creative
Seaford Head
Seaford Head is a nationally important area of Chalk Downland landscape east of Seaford, East Sussex, featuring archaeology of multiple periods including a Bronze Age bowl barrow, an Iron Age hillfort and a Second World War reinforced concrete structure.
In the last year there have been significant cliff collapses in the area, which are expected to increase in frequency and severity with predicted rises in rainfall and storm events related to climate change.
Using a combination of non-intrusive archaeological techniques, including desk-based analysis of historic maps, and aerial, topographic and geophysical survey, we will assess and record the threatened heritage on Seaford Head.
The project is funded by Historic England with contributions from the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). It draws together the expertise of archaeologists from Archaeology South-East (UCL), artists and videographers along with several key stakeholders, principally Seaford Town Council, the SDNPA and Historic England.
Digital Outputs
The latest digital outputs from the project are below! Follow our progress using #SeafordHeadProject on social media.
In the Media
Various news outlets have covered aspects of the Seaford Head Project. Click the titles below to read the stories.
Project manager Jon Sygrave was interviewed on BBC South East.
Connections/Further Reading
The Seaford Head project relates to a wider discussion on the management of heritage loss due to climate change, which is the focus of several current projects, notably the AHRC funded Landscape Futures project (of which Professor Rodney Harrison, UCL Institute of Archaeology is a co investigator) and the EU funded CHERISH project.
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