Organisations

We are the public body that helps people care for, enjoy, and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops.

We protect, champion, and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent, and the people who live, work, and play among them.

Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge, and skills to inspire interest, care, and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.

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The ADS is the first accredited digital repository for heritage data in the UK, with 25 years of experience supporting research, learning, and teaching with free, high quality and dependable digital resources. It does this by preserving digital data in the long term, and by promoting and disseminating a broad range of archaeological and historic environment data including both terrestrial and marine resources.

The ADS promotes good practice in the use of digital data, provides technical advice to the research community, and supports the deployment of digital technologies.

From the outset the ADS has supported the aggregation of archaeological resources from multiple data providers, and has worked at a European level, playing a leading role in ARIADNE, the international research infrastructure for archaeology. The ADS also leads the COST Action SEADDA, an international network dedicated to Saving Archaeology from a Digital Dark Age.

Visit the ADS site

The Centre for Maritime Archaeology is the focus of maritime archaeological research within Archaeology at the University of Southampton. Committed to the promotion and practice of maritime archaeology, we have provided world-class expertise in research and education since 1995.

Our members are involved in a wide range of projects across the globe, and we have established strong links with partner academic institutions, and both the commercial and curatorial sectors.

Our research engages with the public, private, and third sectors around the world. We collaborate and work in partnership with other academic institutions, marine industries, heritage agencies, museums, and the broader public.

Our members include established international experts and emerging scholars, undertaking innovative, multidisciplinary research in areas from Pleistocene submerged landscapes through shipwreck archaeology to ethnographic studies and experimental archaeology.

Visit the Centre for Maritime Archaeology site

A team of specialist researchers from six Schools are involved in Unpath’d Waters:

• Civil Engineering and Surveying, Faculty of Technology, committed to encouraging creativity and new ways of designing a sustainable built environment, including social heritage
• Creative Technologies, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, challenges and disrupts how people relate to and communicate with each other through creative practice and the development of innovative technologies
• Architecture, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, whose research focuses on strategic thinking, sustainable design, heritage conservation and community engagement to address some of society’s key challenges
• Environment, Geography and Geosciences, Faculty of Science and Health, studying how our planet works, how it’s changing and how we can interact with it
• Portsmouth Business, Faculty of Business and Law, Accounting and Financial Management Subject Group engages in research across the full range of accounting and management, including their intersection with heritage and history
• Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, the Molecular Biophysics Research Group addresses the most pressing issues affecting people’s quality of life through all aspects of molecular sciences – health, plastic pollution and heritage

Visit the University of Portsmouth site

The Centre for Applied Marine Sciences (CAMS) operates from within Marine Centre Wales, a purpose-built facility in Menai Bridge on the shores of the Menai Strait. The centre aims to increase the impact of marine research by linking academic activities to real-world applications. Projects are defined by end-user needs and results are rapidly applied to specific issues.

CAMS utilises the expertise of over 30 scientific staff dedicated to specific projects across a range of marine science disciplines (incl. geo-science, physical oceanography, biology and chemistry) and can access the multi-disciplinary skills of over 100 members of staff at Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, one of the largest academic marine science centres in Europe.

We have access to a wide range of specialised resources, facilities, equipment, laboratories and computing facilities as well as our 35m shelf-sea research vessel Prince Madog and a fleet of smaller inshore survey vessels.

We work with partners in industry, national and international agencies and government in a range of relationships including strategic programmes, collaborative research, contract research and consultancy.

Visit the Centre for Applied Marine Sciences site

A division within The Glasgow School of Art, The School of Innovation and Technology is an undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, learning, and research centre specialising in design and digital visualisation technology.

Its research environment focusses on social innovations that build upon technological innovations in a way that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries within art and science. This includes exploring the interface between science, engineering, and the arts to explore imaginative and novel uses of advanced 3D digital visualisation and interaction technologies.

Part of SIT’s research activities revolve around Virtual and Augmented Reality, immersive sound, game-based learning, and interactive digital narrative. Our researchers are active in a broad range of major research projects, nationally and internationally, in the fields of design, cultural and natural heritage, digital archaeology, education, the environment, and sustainability as well as medical visualisation, serious games, and entertainment.

Visit the School of Innovation and Technology site

MOLA is an experienced and innovative archaeological and built heritage practice, independent research organisation, and charity. With more than 300 staff in London, Northampton, and Basingstoke, we’ve been providing independent, professional heritage advice and services for over 40 years.

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The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) is a collaborative and open partnership, established in April 2008 to improve the management of and access to the UK’s valuable marine data and information resources. MEDIN is supported and funded by a group of 14 organisations and is hosted by the National Oceanography Centre. MEDIN has established a national framework for providing access to and management of marine environmental data and information. This comprises:

• a coordinated network of marine Data Archive Centres, encompassing a wide range of marine data themes;
• a web portal to make it easy for users to find UK marine data;
• and a suite of standards and guidelines to ensure marine data are findable and reusable.

The MEDIN portal is the most comprehensive of its type and currently provides access to marine data collected or managed by over 600 organisations.

Visit the MEDIN site

Ulster University strives to make a lasting contribution to society.

Research in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences is focused in two clusters that operate within the Centre for Environmental Spatial Data Analytics (CESDA). The Heritage, Conflict & Society cluster conducts research on cultural heritage, peace and conflict, economic disparity, health, and mobility to develop a deeper understanding of societal issues and work with government agencies and community stakeholders to develop solutions of societal benefit.

The Environmental Processes, Management & Sustainability cluster conducts fundamental research on the interlinked physical, biological, and chemical processes operating in the Earth’s crust and surface to enable a better understanding of the sustainability of environmental systems and their management.

Research in archaeology spans both these clusters and focuses on maritime cultural landscapes, coastal archaeology, terrestrial and underwater remote sensing, site formation processes, and marine geoarchaeology.

Visit the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences site

The National Maritime Museum, part of the Royal Museums Greenwich group, is one of the largest of its kind in the world, covering the story of Britain’s rich and varied global maritime past. The Museum aims to encourage a greater understanding of this past by presenting the epic stories of maritime exploration and endeavour that have shaped our world today.

The museum’s collections comprise more than 2.5 million objects. These include astronomical and navigational instruments, ship models, coins, medals, flags, uniforms, weapons, vessel fittings, objets d’art, and film. The latter is supplemented by the world’s largest maritime library and archive collection, which comprises more than double their number of historical records. These range from items of official and personal correspondence to crew lists to ship plans and photographic material.

Visit the National Maritime Museum site

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. Charged with implementing ‘Our Place in Time’, Scotland’s historic environment strategy, HES is responsible for buildings and monuments in state care and provides funding and guidance for conservation works and education across Scotland. HES is responsible for the identification and protection of nationally important sites and monuments including Historic Marine Protected Areas.

HES hosts the National Record of the Historic Environment comprising a site inventory of over 330,000 records documenting our archaeological, built, and marine heritage supported by extensive archives of over 1.3million manuscripts, drawings, and photographs. Our digital archives are Core Trust Seal accredited. HES forms part of the Marine Environment Data Information Network (MEDIN) federated Historic Environment Data Archive Centre.

Visit the Historic Environment Scotland site

Over the last twenty-two years, Tom Dawson and a group of archaeologists have established a preeminent, award-winning position in Scottish coastal archaeology through their outreach and survey work. Located within the large and vibrant School of History at the University of St Andrews, their vital work is carried out under the auspices of SCAPE (Scottish Coastal Archaeological and the Problem of Erosion).

Working in collaboration with community groups around the country, the team has explored new ways of recording and promoting coastal and intertidal heritage threatened by natural processes. Innovations have included coastal recording app, film projects, digital 3D reconstructions, and community projects to rescue, and in some cases relocate, eroding heritage. Winner of four British Archaeology Awards over the years, the group is undertaking community coastal surveys with groups of volunteers.

Visit the School of History site

The School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences uniquely integrates Archaeological Sciences, Biological Anthropology, Cultural Archaeology, and Forensic and Medical Sciences to further the study of people, their society, and their environments in the present and the past. Our approach is profoundly multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, bridging the sciences and the humanities.

This vision is promoted through the school’s specialist groups including the Biological Anthropology Research Centre, the Stable Isotope Centre, and Visualising Heritage – the University centre where archaeologists and forensic scientists use the latest technologies to capture, image, analyse and disseminate human activity from the past and present.

In 2021 we were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for our world-leading work in developing archaeological technology and techniques and its influence on practice, policy, and society.

Visit the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences site

The Maritime Archaeology Trust promotes interest, research and knowledge of maritime archaeology and heritage. For over 30 years we have been running a programme of research and fieldwork on shipwrecks, submerged prehistoric landscapes, hulks and maritime structures in the intertidal area. We provide opportunities for active involvement in archaeology underwater, on the foreshore and through research in archives, museums and from home.

In addition to our research programme, we remove barriers to access to hard-to-reach heritage through our award-winning education and outreach programme which includes outdoor learning and events, a museum on the Isle of Wight, our mobile Discovery Bus, publications and a whole host of online digital resources.

MAT has taken a leading role in developing digital recording of shipwrecks, sites and objects, 3D modelling of the results and the use of visualisations to produce innovative ways for the public to access heritage.

Visit the Maritime Archaeology Trust site

The Mary Rose was the flagship of Henry VIII that served in his fleet for 34 years before sinking during the Battle of the Solent in 1545, with the king watching from nearby Southsea Castle.

Her remains were raised in 1982, and are now on display along with thousands of the original objects recovered alongside the ship, giving a unique and moving insight into life in Tudor England.

She is the only ship of her kind on display anywhere in the world.

Visit the Mary Rose Trust site

The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) is a UK-based charity and a limited company. Since 1972 the mission of the NAS has been to research, record, and protect our threatened underwater and coastal heritage for the benefit of everyone. We strive to Protect, Record, and Research all forms of nautical heritage whilst maintaining the highest ethical standards through three core areas of activity: Education, Research, and Publication.

The NAS has strong links to other organisations around the world which work together collectively to promote the cause on a global scale. The NAS believes that everyone can benefit from the unique and fascinating resource that is the world’s maritime heritage.

Since 1972 the NAS has published the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Today the IJNA is published in hard copy twice a year through Taylor & Francis and is published online via a subscription-based and open-access content portal.

Visit the NAS site

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is a public body funded and sponsored by Welsh Government. Established in 1908 it has a leading national role in developing and promoting understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, as the originator, curator, and supplier of authoritative information for individual, corporate, and governmental decision-makers, researchers, and the general public.

The landscape and built heritage of Wales result from people’s interaction with the natural world over thousands of years. Since it was established in 1908, the Royal Commission has led the way in researching and explaining the remains of that interaction – the archaeology and the historic buildings we see around us. The Commission also has an important role as a statutory consultee concerned with the consideration of cultural heritage within Wales’s marine zone.

Visit the RCAHMW site

Wessex Archaeology is the UK’s leading provider of archaeological and heritage services and an educational charity.

Established for over 40 years, we offer an unrivalled range of services above ground, below ground, and underwater, delivered by over 380 industry experts from an international network of offices. We have carried out much of the marine archaeological work undertaken in the UK in the last couple of decades, with clients ranging from offshore wind developers to national curators and public bodies such as Historic England, to whom we have provided archaeological services related to marine protection for almost 20 years. Our staff includes some of the most experienced marine archaeologists in the UK.

We work in partnership with our clients across a variety of sectors to deliver practical, sustainable solutions to effectively manage the historic environment. Our experience and knowledge help our clients achieve successful planning outcomes, engage communities and stakeholders, and enhance the value of national historical assets.

As a registered charity, community engagement and promoting education is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to promoting education in science, the arts, culture, and heritage. The knowledge gained through serving our commercial clients is used to enhance the experiences of individuals, communities, and organisations alike.

Visit the Wessex Archaeology site

Cadw is a Welsh word meaning ‘to keep’ or ‘to protect’. And that’s exactly what we do. We are working for an accessible and well-protected historic environment for Wales.

Cadw is the Welsh Government’s historic environment service.

Our Mission is to care for our historic places, inspiring current and future generations. Our work serves a greater purpose — protecting our historic places so they can continue to inspire generations to come. We look back in order that we can see ahead.

Our Vision is a Wales where our historic places are cared for, understood, and shared by everyone. Our historic places continue to play a vital role in shaping modern Wales. They provide a living link to our diverse histories and help us make sense of our place in a changing world.

Cadw is part of the Welsh Government’s Arts and Sport Department and is answerable to the Deputy Minister, Dawn Bowden MS.

Visit the Cadw site

Manx National Heritage is responsible for protecting and promoting the Isle of Man’s natural and cultural heritage. We are a registered charity and look after some of the Island’s most special places, spaces, archives, and museum collections, making these available to people across the world.

Our Statement of Purpose:

“Manx National Heritage exists to take the lead in protecting, conserving, making available and celebrating the Island’s natural and cultural heritage for current and future generations, whilst contributing to the Island’s prosperity and quality of life”.

Visit the Manx National Heritage site

Historic Environment Division (HED) within the Department for Communities is the government lead on the historic environment of Northern Ireland and an Unpath’d Waters Project partner. HED work closely with DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division in the protection and management of Northern Ireland’s marine heritage assets. We protect Northern Ireland’s marine heritage by:

1. enhancing the record of the marine historic environment and disseminating this information to support marine planning, heritage asset management, and improved public awareness and enjoyment;
2. ensuring that marine heritage sites have appropriate protection and management; and
3. providing co-ordinated marine historic environment advice to support marine planning and policy. HED’s objectives for the marine historic environment have been set out in the document, Conserving the Marine Heritage (2019), and the objectives of the Unpath’d Waters project resonate with this position statement.

Visit the Department for Communities site

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) was created in 2009 by the Marine and Coastal Access Act. MMO is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Driven by government’s aim for clean, healthy, safe, productive, and biologically diverse oceans and seas, MMO’s purpose is to protect and enhance our precious marine environment, and support UK economic growth by enabling sustainable marine activities and development.

Visit the MMO site

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Heritage & Education Centre are custodians of a vast and unique collection concerning over 260 years of marine engineering, science, and history.

The collection includes the famous Lloyd’s Register of Shipping books, which were first published in 1764. They are an invaluable tool for checking vessel histories and registered ownership details, tracing shipbuilders, yard numbers, technical changes and more.

We also hold 1.1 million documents from the Centre’s Ships, Plans and Survey Reports Collection. Dating from the 1830s up until the 1960s, the Collection includes original ship plans, reports, correspondence, telegrams and photographs.

The Centre is a part of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and is focused on enhancing public education and research in a number of areas, from maritime history to STEM disciplines.

Visit Lloyd’s Register Foundation site

The UK‘s waters contain one of the greatest densities of shipwrecks in the world. Of these, only some 60,000 are formally recorded and only 20,000 are of identified sites; the vast majority are unidentified and their location unknown.

A very small number of the UK’s wrecks are afforded legal protection under different pieces of heritage legislation and many of these are actively worked, researched, and championed by teams of avocational and professional archaeologists who hold specific licences/permits issued by the heritage agencies or the Ministry of Defence who authorise the activities allowed on behalf of the government.

The Protected Wreck Association acts as a forum to facilitate open communication, discussion, collaboration, and co-operation within the community of avocational and professional archaeologists who survey, monitor, excavate, or research inland, foreshore, and underwater cultural heritage sites around the UK coastline which are protected under cultural heritage legislation.

Visit the Protected Wreck Association site

The British Geological Survey is a world-leading geological survey and global geoscience organisation, focused on public-good science for government and research to understand earth and environmental processes.

We are the UK’s premier provider of objective and authoritative geoscientific data, information, and knowledge to help society use its natural resources responsibly, manage environmental change, and be resilient to environmental hazards.

Visit the British Geological Survey site

Lloyd’s is the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance marketplace and since the 1680s has been sharing risk to protect people, businesses, and communities globally.

We began over 300 years ago with a few courageous individuals insuring intrepid journeys, back then it was vessels and voyages. Today, we are a market of thousands, working on behalf of millions of customers, insuring everything from cargo holds to climate change, space exploration to cyber attacks.

As a leader in marine insurance, Lloyd’s has expertise, insight, and historical records which provide invaluable resources for understanding maritime history.

Visit Lloyd's site