to any particular or general character, but … let’s not spoil the story.The first of these worked in a busy world full of short form expression, mostly three letteracronyms or TLA for short so we shall think of this person as the CA. The CA had beenlucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when English Heritage started pump-priming local authority posts and over time had grown to have a rich and diverse remit. Onthe one hand there was the planning side of things with both forward strategy and casework,although the inquiries could be a bit of a pain – there are only so many times that you reallywant to subject yourself to legal cross-examination. On another the management of therecords: the gleaming new HER, which with a touch of MIDAS, had risen phoenix-likeovernight from the ashes of the tired old SMR.
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Then there was also the historic landscapecharacterisation work, the urban database, the agri-environment schemes, and even the oddhigh-level overview project. The County Archaeologist was at ease with the
Historic Environment
and its Stewardship, and liked being in the ‘Association’.
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The CA wascomfortable with this identity, but … .The second was a Chief Executive (or CEO for short). The Chief Executive had once workedwith the CA on something called ‘the circuit’
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but was content to stay in the field for a fewyears more gradually moving up the ranks until opportunities came to direct excavations andthen the post-excavation studies had had to be done and the reports published, althoughmost of the Chief Executive’s junior staff were amazed at the notion that he, or was it she,had ever held a trowel let alone knew how to use one. At some point the Chief Executivehad found more by chance than design that management came naturally. Having honed upskills in this area appointment to one of the top organisations working in the field followedand the post-PPG 16 boom in ‘polluter pays’ archaeology had allowed the Chief Executive tobuild up the company. Yes, there had been a few hairy moments along the way, but one gotto know how to use laws of commerce and contract to good effect and turnaround QuantitySurveyors’ methods and ploys to your company’s advantage. Like any leader of a seriousprofessional organisation the CEO was accountable for organisational performance, and attimes it seemed endlessly so — to government, the board, clients, consultants, the staff,academics, inspectors — and for all of this the Chief Executive was well paid (at least byarchaeological standards). The CEO was talented, in this profession you don’t normally getthere if you are not, and at ease with delivering archaeological works and products. TheChief Executive liked being in the new Federation of Archaeological Managers andEmployers, ‘SCUMmy days’ were long gone, being famous was the thing.
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The ChiefExecutive was comfortable with this identity, but ….The third was a consultant, not I should add one of those with some qualification in ‘heritage’related studies whose closest experience of archaeological excavation had been watching
Time Team
, but someone properly qualified for the role. Many years ago the Consultant hadexcavated and written reports, but following a spell with a government agency, anopportunity had arisen to join a private sector historic environment practice. The Consultanthad an authoritative knowledge of sectoral law, regulation, practice and values, and couldtake holistic viewpoints in determining alternative strategies that benefited both the resourceand the consultant’s clients. Although as was the case for the CA and the Chief Executivethere was no peer ‘club’, the Consultant was comfortable with this identity, but ….*******The three seniors were deep in conversation. The Heritage Bill was on the shelf, all theconsultation and politicising seemed to have been in vain. Would there yet be a greatreform? Yes a few bits might get coat-tailed (or did they call it ‘Christmas treeing’ thesedays?) onto other legislation and some bits and other things might be able to be progressedwithout recourse to statute, perhaps through revised planning guidance although theemphasis behind this, as was ever the case these days, seemed to be with speeding thingsup rather than ensuring measured decisions. It looked like there would be little changebefore the next election and not much chance immediately thereafter; the archaeologicalworld was contracting, recession was biting, units and consultancies were shedding jobs,and there was pressure on authority funded services, if these just stood still they were doing
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