ABSTRACT
English Heritage has recently completed a project which investigated the archaeological content of English town commons. Commons in urban areas are under pressure and because their historic element is not understood it is unprotected. This paper examines the results of the project and argues that town commons should be recognised as a valid historical entity and a valued part of the modern urban environment. This is an essential first step towards successful informed conservation. It also promotes the view that landscape archaeology is about the fabric of the land as created and modified over a long period, in which our own activities are part of that continuum. This reflects the changing nature of archaeology as a discipline that is increasingly concerned with public understanding, along with land management and conservation.
