• 
• 
• 
• 
  • Applying For
  • Business Resources
  • Careers and Retirement
  • Citizens Advice
  • Community Council
  • Council Tax and Housing
  • Education and Learning
  • Emergency Contacts
  • Environment
    • Archaeology
    • Area Regeneration
    • Built Heritage
    • Countryside Rangers
    • Environmental health
    • Environmental Strategy
    • Natural Heritage
    • Outdoor Access
    • Recycling
    • Rural Partnership
    • Trees
    • Waste Disposal
    • Wildlife Records
  • Living and Social Care
  • Local Democracy
  • Online Services
  • Planning and Building
  • Your Street
• 
• 

Welcome to the Archaeology Service for Scottish Borders Council. The service is part of the Countryside and Heritage Team, located within Planning and Economic Development.

This part of Scotland has a rich archaeological heritage. Historically the region lay between the English counties of Northumberland  and Cumberland to the south, and Dumfriesshire and the Lothians on the Scottish side. Castles, towers, forts and places with names such as “Bloody Bush” or “Skirmish Field” are reminders that the border between England and Scotland was a dangerous place to live. However, the heritage of the Borders consists of much more than relics of this violent period; Iron Age hillforts, ruined monasteries, and monuments of our industrial past are as much a part of the Scottish Borders landscape as the rolling hills and the River Tweed itself.

Scottish Borders Council has a key role in protecting our historic environment. To that end we maintain a record of archaeological and historical sites; the Historic Environment Record (HER). This information is used to provide advice on planning forestry and land management issues. The other key function of the service is to interpret the rich heritage of our area through a variety of means, including talks, guided walks, leaflets and site interpretation.