public SPACE is an exciting initiative designed to bring together local history and archaeology groups currently engaged in, or just about to embark upon, the exploration of the origins of their own communities.

Independent studies have already contributed much to our understanding of village origins. But the task of bringing together this information is not easy. In part this is because much valuable information remains unpublished; in part this is because the evidence has been collected in so many ways that direct comparison or aggregation of the available data is made very difficult.

There can be no doubt that if studies of this kind are to progress, then the way we go about exploring village origins needs to change. Imagine being able to draw upon 100s of examples of villages investigated using a common methodology rather than just two or three. This is the idea that lies behind public SPASE. By harnessing the knowledge, expertise, and energy of local groups working independently, yet within a common research framework, the English countryside can become a massive laboratory within which to test current hypotheses. Astronomers have recently done tried this approach to great effect (see www.galaxy.zoo.com), so why, albeit on a smaller scale, can't local historians and archaeologists?

Behind public SPASE is a group of academics who are passionate about their subject, who are willing to share their expertise if required, but who recognise that the answers they seek often already lie with, or can be found by, people working on the ground.

The principal aims of this website, then, are as follows:

1. to offer guidance on how evidence might be collected in a standardized way at a local level, as appropriate for small groups often with very limited budgets.

2. to provide a forum for the communication of the results of research emanating from both local groups and the academic community

3. to provide local groups with easy access to academics and their current research