Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER)
The Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER) is a major resource for understanding the historic environment of Greater London.
The online GLHER
The GLHER is now available online.
The online GLHER provides direct public access to the London Record and the bulk of the GLHER's data covering archaeological sites and finds, historic buildings, historic parks and landscapes, and more. It holds over 98,000 records ranging from the earliest human occupation, right up to modern times. Sites can be searched by either using the easy-to-use search tools, or its built-in mapping features.
An abridged version of the GLHER is also available online from the Heritage Gateway along with 60 other HERs across England, as well as national resources including the National Heritage List for England, Church Heritage Record, and the National Trust Heritage Record.
This project has been part of a collaborative effort between the Getty Conservation Institute, Historic England, and the City of Lincoln Council to develop a new heritage management system for use in the UK: Arches for HERs. This system is based on the open-source software platform for Cultural Heritage Management, Arches, developed jointly by the Getty Conservation Institute and the World Monuments Fund and used by heritage organisations worldwide.
Please note:
Commercial and academic users may use the online GLHER to carry out preliminary investigations or to help them decide their search parameter needs for their work.
However, users should contact the GLHER team for a full HER search, either through the online request form, or by email (GLHER@HistoricEngland.org.uk), as the GLHER holds information that is not, or not yet, on the HER which we supply as part of our enquiry service, and we also carry out data enhancement on the data supplied.
There is a charge for commercial data requests, but no charge for academic or general public data requests. For more information, see charges and service levels for commercial searches.
What is the Greater London Historic Environment Record?
The GLHER is a comprehensive and dynamic resource for the historic environment of Greater London. From the earliest human occupation to the present day, its data supports the work of the Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS).
Our computerised record contains over 98,000 entries, providing data on:
- Archaeological sites
- Historic buildings
- Historic parks and landscapes
- Archaeological finds
- Heritage features
- Supporting sources of information
Find out more about what data we hold.
How do I access the GLHER?
The GLHER is a public record, and we welcome enquires from anyone interested in the historic environment of Greater London.
As well as the online GLHER, to access GLHER data you can:
Request a search
The GLHER team will search for and supply you with the relevant GLHER data in digital format, accompanied by a 12-month licence to reuse it. After 6 months, on request, you can get a data update.
There's no charge for searches for members of the public and academic researchers unless the request requires more than an hour of HER staff time. In these cases, there may be a charge, especially for large amounts of data.
The GLHER aims to respond to all searches within 20 working days, but more usually returns results sooner.
Commercial, for-profit enquiries are charged for, and a 5-day Priority Search service is available at a premium, subject to HER staff availability, for some development types. More about services and charges.
Visit the GLHER office
You can consult the GLHER in person, 10 am to 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday. During a visit to our office, you can search the GLHER database and GIS maps, use our small library and explore the physical records we hold.
Email GLHER@HistoricEngland.org.uk to arrange a visit and please check our London office webpage before you set out on the day of your visit. Space is limited, so please give as much notice as possible when making an appointment to visit.
Charges and service levels for commercial searches
We charge for licensing the commercial, for-profit reuse of GLHER information. There's no charge for searches for members of the public and academic researchers unless the request takes more than an hour of HER staff time.
Please note:
From 1 April 2026, we have changed our pricing structure. Search fees are now based on:
a) location of the search area, (Inner or Outer London)
b) type / scale of development, and
c) service level chosen
Charges and service levels 2026 (excluding VAT)
Our charges listed below reflect the location of your search enquiry:
- Inner London – where heritage data is denser, and search areas tend to be smaller, and
- Outer London – where the data is generally not as dense, and search areas are usually larger.
|
Development |
Search area |
Standard search |
Priority search* |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Householder / listed building |
Property curtilage only |
£127 |
£178 |
|
Minor developments |
100 metre search radius or up to 3 hectares |
£142 |
£199 |
|
Major developments |
200 metre search radius or up to 12.5 hectares |
£569 |
£797 |
|
Wide area or specialist searches |
Over 12.5 hectares |
Bespoke, contact the GLHER |
Not available |
* Subject to GLHER staff availability
|
Development |
Search area |
Standard search |
Priority search* |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Householder / listed building |
Property curtilage only |
£127 |
£178 |
|
Minor developments |
250 metre search radius or up to 20 hectares |
£127 |
£178 |
|
Medium and smaller-scale major developments |
500 metre search radius or up to 80 hectares |
£253 |
£354 |
|
Major developments – large scale |
750 metre search radius or up to 175 hectares |
£569 |
£797 |
|
Major infrastructure and equivalent developments |
1 kilometre search radius or up to 320 hectares |
£1012 |
£1417 |
|
Wide area or specialist searches |
Over 320 hectares |
Bespoke, contact the GLHER |
Not available |
* Subject to GLHER staff availability
Development categories
Charges are defined, depending on the size of the site or radius search area required, and the development type.
1) Householder / listed building
Single building developments. A HER search for a proposed listed building consent application or for a heritage statement relating solely to internal works to a listed building without ground excavation.
- Property curtilage only
Note: No charge will be made if there is no information for the site provided by the GLHER
2) Minor developments
Residential developments of fewer than 10 homes, or for non-residential developments with less than 1,000 square metres of new floorspace and on sites of 0.5 hectares or less.
Appropriate for small sites, this covers searches:
- Up to 3 hectares in Inner London (100 metre search radius) or
- Up to 20 hectares in Outer London (250 metre search radius).
3) Major developments (Inner London) / medium and smaller-scale major developments (Outer London)
Development of 10 to 199 homes, or for non-residential use, 1,000 to 9,999 square metres of new floorspace, and on sites of 2 hectares or less.
For medium-sized sites, this covers:
- Up to 12.5 hectares in Inner London (200 metre search radius)
- Up to 80 hectares in Outer London (500 metre search radius)
4) Large-scale major development (Outer London area only)
Large-scale major development of residential developments of 200+ homes, or for non-residential developments of 10,000 square metres or more of new floorspace, or mineral extraction, on sites over 2 hectares.
- Large-scale major developments – up to 175 hectares (750 metre search radius)
5) Major infrastructure and other strategic development (Outer London area only)
Projects with a construction area of 10+ hectares, or requiring GLHER search areas of 175 to 350 hectares in Outer London (for example, mineral extraction, strategic housing developments, solar farms)
- Major infrastructure and equivalent development up to 350 hectares (750 metre search radius)
6) Wide area or specialist searches
For Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), or requiring searches over 350 hectares in Outer London or over 12.5 hectares in Inner London.
- Bespoke costing by the GLHER / GLAAS
Service levels
There are 3 search service levels to choose from:
Standard searches
The GLHER team responds to search enquiries within 20 working days, but more usually will return results within 10 or fewer.
As part of the search, the GLHER team:
- supplies GLHER data as HTML and/or GIS shapefiles
- checks the currency of data, adding information on activities (creating new or amended HER 'Activity/Event' and 'Source' records) which GLAAS has been notified of but not yet added to the GLHER database; our grey literature report backlog.
Up to 50 metres of the search area centroid:
- creates or amends Monument Records based on the activity record check
- accessions any National Register of the Historic Environment (NRHE) data, and
- consults the relevant locally listed asset registers and new sites added (only where sufficient information is available to create HER data records).
Note: Enhancement work is subject to HER staff availability; the team will prioritise information most relevant to the enquiry, in consultation with the enquirer, where necessary.
Data will be supplied under a 12-month data licence, but after 6 months, users are entitled to, on request, a free check into whether the data is still up-to-date. If updates are needed, these will be sent out.
(see the Greater London Historic Environment Record Access and Charging Policy).
If we have not heard from you within 5 working days of supplying a quote, we will assume you do not wish to go ahead with the search, and our estimate will no longer be valid.
Priority searches
Offering a 5-working-day turnaround, priority searches are subject to HER staff availability, and not available for bespoke wide area searches. Please check with the GLHER first for availability.
When considering staff availability for searches, precedence will be given to priority searches.
If, having agreed to undertake a priority search, staff availability or unforeseen circumstances arise that prevent completion of the request within 5 working days, the standard search fee will be applied.
Priority search availability may be reduced during the summer and Christmas holiday periods.
Enhanced data service
Wide Area, specialist, or large infrastructure searches are not covered by the GLHER search fee menu, and are likely to come under HE’s Enhanced Advisory Service (EAS) charging. Please contact the GLHER for advice and a quote.
Work required for these searches may exceed 20 working days to process. In these cases, the GLHER can still supply HER data, shapefiles and HTML reports (unenhanced data) within 20 working days, and any remaining data later.
Due to the nature of the work required for enhanced data searches, they cannot be undertaken as priority searches.
Following a data request, Historic England will send an invoice to the HER user at the end of the month. Payments should be made within 30 days, and access to Historic England (chargeable) services may be suspended if payment is not made within this time.
How search charges are priced
As a public body, we aim to cover the costs of maintaining the HER service.
All charges are on a cost recovery basis, rather than staff time to process a search, including the cost of staffing the GLHER, overheads, IT costs, and administration time.
The new HER search fees will not cover the full cost of maintaining the GLHER, and are not designed to make a profit.
A search on other databases, such as the Heritage Gateway, Layers of London, or use of the GLHER online, is not an acceptable substitute for requesting a GLHER search and may constitute a breach of copyright. The online GLHER, Heritage Gateway and the Archaeological Data Service: Archsearch, however, may be used as a guide to what may be within your area of interest, and the likely cost for a data licence.
Information on designated heritage assets can be accessed, free of charge, via the National Heritage List for England on the Historic England website.
Find out more about the GLHER Access and Charging Policy.
What is the Greater London Historic Environment Record currently working on?
We are working on a number of projects, some of which our volunteers are carrying out for us. Current projects include:
- Data transfer from the National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) to the GLHER, as part of the national NHRE to HER project
- Enhancing our parks and gardens records
- Greenwich Park
- Revising our Archaeological Priority Areas
Historic England and the Forestry Commission: working together to cultivate London's green legacy
The Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER) is working with the Forestry Commission, with input from Natural England and the Association of Local Government Archaeologists, to help identify places which could be suitable for the creation of new woodland in Greater London. To do this, we are enhancing the Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE). The SHINE dataset is a special collection of information concerning historic sites and places in England that helps landowners and agencies involved in land management to identify and positively manage heritage assets on their land.
The SHINE dataset was originally created by Natural England and associated partners in 2008 to support agri-environment schemes but is now being enhanced to enable it to help woodland creation and other forestry schemes. More than half of the Greater London area is open (i.e. undeveloped) land and much of that is designated greenbelt or metropolitan open land. Trees and woodlands make London a healthier, more attractive place to live, and help to combat climate change and air pollution. London's urban forest has an estimated 8.4 million trees and covers around a fifth of the city's land area - it is increasingly recognised for its environmental, social and economic value (Mayor’s Trees and Woodlands Strategy). The expertise of the staff at GLHER means that as well as ensuring heritage assets are protected, opportunity areas where new planting might enhance or restore historic landscape character can be identified.
By combining heritage conservation with sustainable land management practices, we can help to preserve London's natural and cultural heritage while fostering a greener and more resilient urban environment. Linking heritage preservation, environmental stewardship, and community well-being will help to make London a more liveable and sustainable city for future generations.
For more information, please contact:
Volunteering with the Greater London Historic Environment Record
We have a number of opportunities for members of the public, or students to volunteer with the Historic Environment Record team. We provide full training and support so you don't need any previous experience, and you will play a critical role in helping to conserve London's historic environment.