Our History

Our vision has always been to create a business that employs talented and commercially-aware people, who can bring knowledge and quality to the delivery of business-focused archaeology.

Origins

The Vision in the Beginning

Headland Archaeology was founded in 1996 by four like-minded archaeologists. All were working in archaeology at the time, in a market being supplied by the not-for-profit sector – charities, local authorities, universities and museums. New planning policies and guidance radically changed the industry in the early 1990s, and we saw an opportunity to create a totally new approach to the heritage industry – a commercial business focused on clients’ needs, servicing the development and construction sectors.

Growth

The Journey

The journey began in an old lemonade factory, in Edinburgh in 1996. Within two years we had won the contract to excavate the site of the New Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. This was the first of many £1m plus contracts the company has successfully completed.

Future

What lies ahead?

Headland has grown to be a national provider of heritage services, one of the top five in the UK and the foremost privately-owned business in the sector.

We are still anchored to our original vision, and we continue to innovate and change in order to stay ahead. We apply the latest technological advances to our work in the field, predict future work and trends and develop new products and services — all designed to keep one step ahead of the market and to focus on the needs of our clients.

We work with clients on projects of all sizes, and have built a reputation for delivering on large infrastructure projects. We have a great team spirit, great people and great resources, and we will continue to grow and build on what we have achieved so far.

We have always recognised the need to balance the commercial considerations — meeting deadlines, value for money and good customer service — with the cultural side of the heritage sector, training and career progression, research time and quality of care of the heritage environment. We believe we are defining that balance within the industry and will continue to do so.

Headland’s vision to be the foremost private heritage service provider in the UK is now a reality and we intend to stay ahead of the game.

Headland through the years

Moments from our journey — major projects and milestones across the UK.

The Journey

From an Edinburgh lemonade factory to national coverage — key milestones in our growth.

1996

Founded in Edinburgh, First Major Contract!

The journey began in an old lemonade factory in Edinburgh. Four like-minded archaeologists set out to create a commercial business focused on clients’ needs in the development and construction sectors. The Woodland Grant Scheme Survey was our first major contract and paved the way for future upland surveys and Environmental Impact Assessments.

1998

Scottish Parliament

Within two years we had won the contract to excavate the site of the New Scottish Parliament at Holyrood — the first of many £1m plus contracts the company has successfully completed.

2000

The Newbridge Chariot Burial

The winter of 2000 saw Headland uncover the first Iron Age chariot burial in Scotland. We excavated this in conjunction with National Museums Scotland and found the chariot buried intact complete with reins, bridle and bits. This is the oldest evidence we have of chariots in Britain.

2005

Culduthel

17 roundhouses and thousands of artefacts revealed an Iron Age craftworking centre unlike anything else seen in prehistoric Scotland. A landmark project that resulted in a popular publication many years later.

2007

Major Infrastructure

We simultaneously undertook the £5m M74 Completion Scheme, the £3m A1 and A4/5 in Northern Ireland and several road schemes across Ireland, with offices supporting work in Cork, Galway and Edinburgh.

2008

Group restructure

After 12 years of year-on-year growth, we restructured: Headland Group Ltd with subsidiaries Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd and Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd.

2010

Midlands & West

Headland Group acquired Archaeological Investigations Ltd in Hereford, which became our Midlands and West regional office. This collaboration started with a bang with the excavation of Hereford Cathedral. Around 2500 skeletons were recorded here with remarkable evidence for what life was like for the Medieval residents of Hereford.

2011

Opening of South and East Office (Silsoe)

Expanding further into the South of England, in 2011 we opened our South and East office, now residing in Silsoe.

2015

Opening of Yorkshire and North office

We opened our newest office in Leeds, now Cleckheaton, to complete UK coverage alongside Luton, Hereford and Edinburgh.

2017

MOLA Headland Infrastructure

We announced our consortium with MOLA to bid for archaeological and heritage services on large, world-class infrastructure projects. Our biggest success within this venture was the A14: a massive project with over 250 archaeologists from all over the UK and Europe, uncovering more than 280,000 artefacts from over 232 hectares of archaeology.

2019

RSK Group

Headland Archaeology was acquired by RSK Group Ltd, enhancing our business and creating new opportunities for our staff while merging RSK’s archaeology and heritage business with our consultancy team.

2024

HARK

Launch of HARK! Headland Archaeology Record Keeper, an innovative paperless digital recording system.

2026

Headland Archaeology Turns 30!

2026 marks our 30th year, and with it plenty of growth. A newly expanded 'Geophysics and Exploration' department, Innovation happening in all departments, and a foray back into Ireland.

The journey continuesNew chapters ahead

Headland’s vision to be the foremost private heritage service provider in the UK is now a reality and we intend to stay ahead of the game.

Join Our Team

Careers at Headland

Our core values ensure that our growth and aspirations are based on what is important to the founding principles of Headland Archaeology and the principles of our staff.

Why Headland

People First

Integrity

Excellence

Innovation

Sustainability

Development

Careers

Why join Headland

Vacancies Careers