The archaeology, buildings and historic landscape of South East England (East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex) comprise an outstanding inheritance that helps to give the region its distinctive character and sense of identity.

This historic environment is also a rich resource for education, research and leisure, but what do we actually know about the region's past, and what are the questions we want and need to answer?

The South East Research Framework for the historic environment is an opportunity for all those who care about the region's heritage to take stock and plan how limited resources should be used.

Resource Assessment

Groups of researchers are studying specific time periods as well as more general themes relating to the human history of the South East in order to produce a Resource Assessment. This is a statement of our current knowledge of the archaeology and history of the region.

The Resource Assessment will enable us to build a list of the gaps in our current understanding, and identify research questions and topics in order to form a Research Agenda for the future. We will then be able to develop a Research Strategy for investigation and interpretation of the historic environment of the South East.

Public seminars for the Resource Assessment have now taken place, and notes from each meeting are currently being posted online: your comments are welcome. Resource Assessment chapters covering various periods and themes will also be made available for comment before publication.

Research Agenda

We are now moving into the Research Agenda phase of the project, building a list of those aspects of the historic environment of the South East we would like to investigate further. The SERF Research Agenda Conference will be held on 26 April 2008, hosted by the University of Kent, Medway campus, Chatham, Kent, and this is your opportunity to contribute. There will be no charge for attending but places must be booked in advance.

The South East Research Framework for the historic environment is very much a partnership of the four counties that make up the region, involving all sectors of the archaeological community.

We are very grateful to English Heritage for their financial support for the project.

Further information: http://www.kent.gov.uk/environment/our-environment/kents-heritage/south-east-research-framework/