Keys To The Past

This site unlocks the archaeological secrets of County Durham and Northumberland by providing access to a selection of records of the archaeology and historic environment of these counties, from the smallest Roman coin to the largest medieval castle, from the oldest prehistoric flint to more recent World War II pillboxes.

Professional users are advised that use of Keys to the Past (K2P) does not constitute a full Historic Environment Record (HER) search, and K2P’s use is unsuitable for some planning related functions. Reports that rely on K2P data may, therefore, be rejected for planning purposes. If you’re unsure if using K2P will be appropriate for your purposes, please contact the relevant HER (archaeology@northumberland.gov.uk or archaeology@durham.gov.uk) to clarify.

Durham County Council Archaeology Section completed a major HER enhancement project in March 2025. This merged various national data sets with our data to create a more comprehensive dataset. These records were made available online in April 2025.

Northumberland County Council completed a major HER enhancement project in 2023 and now includes data from the National Record of the Historic Environment. It was last updated on 11 December 2023. Please email archaeology@northumberland.gov.uk for more information.