Figure 39: This vertical photograph of Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, shows a complex palimpsest of landscape development. <strong>The</strong> mansion <strong>in</strong> its park stands as the focal po<strong>in</strong>t for the planned town which, together with the straight roads and parts of the rectangular fields, were imposed on a more ancient pattern of countryside still evident from the numerous r<strong>in</strong>gforts and remnants of older fields and woods. <strong>The</strong>re is also evidence of the impact of modern farm<strong>in</strong>g (Ordnance Survey <strong>Ireland</strong>) 73
74 Roles and potential for historic townscape and landscape assessment Historic landscape and townscape characterisation is an emerg<strong>in</strong>g approach which aims at a more holistic conservation of the historic environment <strong>in</strong> <strong>Ireland</strong>, as it is <strong>in</strong> Brita<strong>in</strong> and other parts of Europe (Fairclough and Rippon 2002). <strong>The</strong> traditional — and still predom<strong>in</strong>ant — approach to heritage conservation has been through the identification and protection of s<strong>in</strong>gle sites or features. Approaches based on characterisation seek to take a more holistic view. <strong>The</strong>se recognise that the historic character of places (much of which is perceived and valued <strong>in</strong>tuitively rather than consciously) cannot be identified adequately through s<strong>in</strong>gle scattered features. Instead, it relies more heavily on long-term patterns of how people have used and adapted an area to suit their needs, sometimes powerfully reflect<strong>in</strong>g differences <strong>in</strong> social status and local political power (Figure 39). As <strong>in</strong>dicated below, there is a need to do more to develop concepts and methods of apply<strong>in</strong>g aerial imagery more directly to understand<strong>in</strong>g and characteris<strong>in</strong>g landscape change than can readily be done through the traditional approaches based on the concept of us<strong>in</strong>g archaeological ‘sites’ as the ma<strong>in</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g blocks of research and heritage management. In a sense, this concept is not new — it has already been explored by Swan (1983, 1985), Barrett (1992, 1995a, 1997b, 1997/8, 1999) and Kelleher (1995). However, new technologies (better rectification and terra<strong>in</strong> modell<strong>in</strong>g, satellite imagery, lidar, GIS) coupled with concepts of historic landscape characterisation offer opportunities for tak<strong>in</strong>g this much further. Mapp<strong>in</strong>g and Interpretation <strong>The</strong> current policy at NMS is to ensure that the basic air photographic <strong>in</strong>formation, together with an <strong>in</strong>terpretive sketch plot, is <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the SMR files along with descriptions, draw<strong>in</strong>gs and ground-level photography. This has been a pragmatic way of ensur<strong>in</strong>g access to the aerial photographic data, with a m<strong>in</strong>imum need for additional staff resources spent on plott<strong>in</strong>g and mapp<strong>in</strong>g, and physical storage of mapp<strong>in</strong>g. Apart from hav<strong>in</strong>g been cost-effective <strong>in</strong> the compilation of the SMR and Inventories, this approach has a number of advantages. Through the SMR files, the air photographic evidence is <strong>in</strong>tegrated with other data. Pr<strong>in</strong>ts of the photographs are directly available, as is an <strong>in</strong>terpretive plot (rather than rely<strong>in</strong>g more on secondary <strong>in</strong>terpretive plott<strong>in</strong>g). Disadvantages are that, while there are cross-references with<strong>in</strong> the record, there is little overall mapp<strong>in</strong>g of complex areas. <strong>The</strong> danger here is that evidence of context and relationships with other sites might be neglected. This is especially relevant for strategic assessments of land-use policy and development. As the NMS po<strong>in</strong>ts out, under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004, the SMR is (and must be) ‘a list of known and potential monuments; it is not, nor is it <strong>in</strong>tended to be, a list of contextualised landscapes’. This, of course, does not preclude the development of other non-statutory <strong>in</strong>terpretative mapp<strong>in</strong>g, characterisation and other elements (e.g. Figure 40). Indeed, with modern methods, the <strong>in</strong>clusion of layers with<strong>in</strong> the NMS/GIS system which provides ortho-photography and other basic geographical data can already provide important elements. Such presentations help to provide basic transcriptions and approximate locations for sites with<strong>in</strong> their landscape context. Modern GIS methods offer more sophisticated digital techniques that can amalgamate different data sets and provide more accurate, higher resolution plott<strong>in</strong>g, but they still rely on conceptual clarity of analysis and presentation. As the data from the Record of Monuments and Places becomes available onl<strong>in</strong>e 16 (temporarily withdrawn for correction at time of writ<strong>in</strong>g), there is at least potential to make aerial imagery more available. Ongo<strong>in</strong>g scann<strong>in</strong>g of photographs <strong>in</strong> the archive for <strong>in</strong>corporation <strong>in</strong>to the NMS/GIS also offers potential for digital enhancement and rectification. This could provide a wider professional and public access to a map-based presentation of aerial photographic evidence. Users say they would like to see more <strong>in</strong>terpretive mapp<strong>in</strong>g by experienced personnel, while also hav<strong>in</strong>g access to orig<strong>in</strong>al material. This recognises that the <strong>in</strong>terpretation and plott<strong>in</strong>g of air photography are real skills. It also acknowledges that the subtleties of what can be seen on air photographs are such that their simplification <strong>in</strong>to map form is always highly <strong>in</strong>terpretive and therefore seldom completely def<strong>in</strong>itive. Moreover, fieldwork (especially geophysics or excavation) can often lead to the discovery of additional evidence that modifies orig<strong>in</strong>al <strong>in</strong>terpretations. 16 http://heritagedata.ie/en/<strong>in</strong>dex.html
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