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National Monuments Record (NMR)
A National Monuments Record (NMR) is an archive of information about archaeology and historic structures and
buildings, which is held and developed on behalf of the public. It is the national counterpart to local Sites and
Monuments Records (SMRs), with which it shares much information. The NMR will be amongst the first ports of call
for anyone wishing to research a site or area.
National Monuments Records in the UK developed in the 1980s and 1990s in response to the need for a national-level
index of information about the historic environment, which had up to then only been available in diverse local
sources such as SMRs. The organisations which were responsible for creating the NMRs were the Royal Commissions on
Ancient and Historical Monuments (RCHME). In England, the NMR since 1999 has been the responsibility of English
Heritage. It is based in Swindon, Wiltshire, where there is public access, but parts of it can also be accessed via
the internet, and enquiries can be made by email, telephone or post (see the
English Heritage web site, or telephone 01793 414700).
NMRs include data on sites and monuments, aerial photographs, maps, plans, drawings, written observations,
computerised records, sound recordings... the list is extensive. The people who work for NMRs are experts in
curating and interpreting these types of evidence, and making them available to the public. It is not only
professional researchers who use NMRs, people looking for the history of their own houses, towns and even families
are regular users, and many come from overseas too.
NMR organisations have played a significant role in establishing good practice and high standards in data archiving
across the UK, and have brought local SMRs together to form a more flexible and compatible resource. SMRs have the
advantage of being responsive to local conditions and expertise, whereas NMRs allow information to be investigated
and analysed on a national basis. It is now very easy, for instance, to find out how many Neolithic long barrows
have been identified in England and where they are located - until a few years ago this type of information was
very difficult to achieve, often meaning spending long hours in libraries checking dozens of local records.
Learn more about Scheduled Ancient Monument, or return to Research.
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