Battlefields at Risk
Winston Churchill called the battlefields of England ‘the punctuation marks of history’, places where the nation’s future sometimes turned over the course of a few bloody hours.The battles of Hastings (1066), Bosworth (1485) and Naseby (1645) are but a few of the violent struggles that made our history. Often the landscapes over which they were fought survive little altered, including topographic features such as the high ground and river crossings which played important strategic parts in events. Here it remains possible to stand in the places where history was made.
The Register of Historic Battlefields was established by English Heritage to encourage local authorities, owners and others to understand the importance of these sites. Currently there are 43 battlefields on the register. While this designation introduces no additional statutory controls, one of its primary objectives is to encourage policies and other mechanisms that ensure that change and development affecting battlefields is sensitive and appropriate. Another aim is to support initiatives that use improved access, interpretation and education to give a better understanding of battlefields.
