The Prehistoric Rock Art of England

A free companion booklet, The Prehistoric Rock Art of England: recording, managing and enjoying our carved heritage, is now available. To order a copy please email archaeology@northumberland.gov.uk or telephone 01670 534166.

Alternatively you can download a pdf copy from here.

The Project

Thousands of prehistoric rock carvings are found on boulders and rocky outcrops in many parts of Britain and Ireland. This rock art is an important component of our historic environment but it is also one of the more mysterious and poorly understood aspects of our past. We know very little about why it was made and what it may have meant to the people who created it.

The carvings are concentrated mainly in northern England, Scotland and Ireland. Certain areas have a more complete record of the rock art than others. For example, almost a thousand rock art panels are so far known in Northumberland. Here, the enthusiasm of local groups and individuals has been instrumental in building this record, but other regions have been less intensively studied and many engravings may still be undiscovered and unrecorded in these areas.

Although stone is a relatively resilient material, the erosive forces of water and changing temperatures make many carvings very fragile. The sedimentary sandstone on which most of the carvings are found is particularly vulnerable. Most motifs are heavily weathered and it is likely that many more are now too faint to distinguish. It is therefore important that we record and conserve those that remain and ensure that these enigmatic marks in the landscape can be studied and enjoyed by future generations.

The Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Project was set up in 2004 with funding from English Heritage. The purpose of the project, run by Northumberland and Durham County Councils, was to pilot the creation of a rock art archive which would be publicly accessible over the internet and would form the basis of the first ever national rock art database England's Rock Art.

The project's success was the result of the hard work and dedication of over 100 specially trained volunteers who endured wet weather and freezing conditions to record over 1500 rock art panels across Northumberland and Durham. The project developed a recording system which means that rock art across the whole country can now be recorded in a standardised way. The record includes details and images of the rock art symbols and also information on their condition and management - all information which is vital to help ensure their preservation into the future. With the help of specialists from English Heritage it was possible to develop the use of both traditional and cutting edge technology, including 3D computer models, to create a wide range of images and information which can be used by the public, researchers and those responsible for managing rock art sites.

England's Rock Art

England's Rock Art incorporates the work of the highly successful Newcastle University Beckensall Archive Project. It is intended that similar recording projects will eventually be undertaken for all areas of England which contain rock art and the database will be updated as the records become available. England's Rock Art was launched on 31st July 2008 and is now available online.

Related web pages

Northumberland Historic Environment Record

England’s Rock Art, a website created as part of the Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Pilot (NADRAP) Project which was managed by Northumberland and Durham County Councils and funded by English Heritage. The website and database build on and incorporate the Newcastle University Beckensall Archive of Northumberland Rock Art.

Beckensall Archive is the celebration of rock carvings made by Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people in Northumberland in the north east of England, between 6000 and 3500 years ago.

The Journal newspaper online.

The Times newspaper online.