Contact
Biography
I studied for a BSc (Hons.) in Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford, specializing in geophysics, environmental archaeology, and palaeopathology. I researched my PhD at the University of Nottingham in the field of archaeological remote sensing - the use of electromagnetic, nondestructive methods of recovering non-visible archaeological information from buildings, excavations, and sites under survey.
I have worked in a wide range of organizations from Central and Local Government, through university teaching appointments and industry, a major charity, to freelance consultancy. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Associate Fellow of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, and a member of many professional organizations both nationally and in the East Midlands, I serve on a large number of advisory boards and committees.
I was formerly head of the Historic Environment Service with Leicestershire County Council, and most recently the Deputy Director of Conservation with the National Trust for Scotland.
Expertise Summary
My principal research specializations are in remote sensing, nondestructive archeological site survey, record photography, digital-image analysis, environmental study, spectroscopy, the history and archaeology of churches, and the recording and conservation of historic buildings. I lecture in medieval archaeology and history, with particular expertise in the development and investigation of ecclesiastical buildings, and remote sensing; I have written over forty papers and books. My latest book is Safe Sanctuaries: Security and Defence in Anglo-Scottish Border Churches 1290-1690 published by John Donald, Edinburgh. I have particular regional research interests in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, the northern counties of England, the Anglo-Scottish Border, and north-west Scotland.
Teaching Summary
I have taught throughout the UK in the fields of buildings archaeology and medieval history, remote sensing, image processing, GIS, and analytical methods in archaeology and history. I have held… read more
Research Summary
Ground-based remote sensing
Church archaeology
Medieval church history
Image and signal processing
Aerial archaeological remote sensing
Thermography and thermal remote sensing
Statistical data analysis
Raman spectroscopy
Recent Publications
BROOKE, CHRISTOPHER, EDWARDS, HOWELL, VANDENABEELE, PETER, LYCKE, SYLVIA and PEPPER, MICHELLE, 2023. Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of a Mid-19th Century Reredos by Sir George Gilbert Scott Heritage. 6(7), 5082-5092 HASSAN UGAIL, DAVID G. STORK, HOWELL EDWARDS, STEVEN C. SEWARD and CHRISTOPHER BROOKE, 2023. Deep transfer learning for visual analysis
and attribution of paintings by Raphael Heritage Science. 11, 268
I am joint editor with Emeritus Professor John Beckett of the Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project: https://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/
I have taught throughout the UK in the fields of buildings archaeology and medieval history, remote sensing, image processing, GIS, and analytical methods in archaeology and history. I have held formal teaching posts at the CourtauId Institute of Art, Nottingham, and Leicester Universities. I have been a visiting fellow and visiting lecturer at the universities of London, Bradford, York, Durham, Glasgow, Leicester, De Montfort, and Nottingham Trent.
Past Research
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7740-9977
Archaeological remote sensing
Analysis of defensible churches on the Anglo-Scottish border
Church history and archaeology in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands
Buildings archaeology throughout the UK
Image processing
Geophysics
Future Research
Defensible buildings in an ecclesiastical context
Remote sensing
Continuing research on church history and archaeology in the East Midlands
Developing analytical methods in buildings archaeology
Image processing methods
Raman spectroscopy