Welcome to The Crown Estate
Metal detecting
Anybody wishing to carry out metal detecting on our foreshore requires a permit. This permit does not apply to the seabed or river beds or any other Crown Estate land.
- Apply for permit
Applying for a permit for metal detecting on our foreshore
Click here to apply for a permit
We generally seek to encourage access over, and responsible use of, the foreshore and therefore make no charge for the permit. Foreshore in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is defined as the land between mean high water and mean low water. In Scotland the definition is between mean high water of spring tides and mean low water of spring tides.
Why is consent required?
All UK foreshore has an owner. Unlike the public rights of fishing and navigation and our general permissive consent for public access along the foreshore, other activities, including metal detecting, need the landowner's permission.
We are required by the Crown Estate Act 1961 to manage our foreshore and regulate such activities and this covers the locating and removal of finds, including those that might be identified as 'treasure'. The Treasure Act 1996 deals with the definition of treasure, along with the payment of rewards in relation to permitted metal detecting. Items which are not defined as treasure and found in the course of metal detecting are in principle also owned by the landowner.
- Treasure Act 1996
The Treasure Act 1996, and other permissions
The act is accompanied by a code of practice which gives advice on the discovery, ownership and valuation of treasure, and on the identification and care of finds. A key provision of the act relates to the payment of rewards in relation to treasure. It is our normal practice where metal detectorists are searching with our consent to follow the reward guidelines set out in the act when an item is not declared as treasure. The act also states that if a finder is searching without permission they may receive a reduced award or no reward.
- Permissions, restrictions, finds
Other permissions, restrictions, and finds
If we own an area of foreshore and it is not leased to a third party such as a local authority, our consent will generally be available.
If the foreshore is for example within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) then the relevant authority may object to certain activities, and so access may be restricted. We expect detectorists searching on our foreshore to be sensitive to environmental designations and if necessary obtain any additional permissions. The relevant authority will be either the Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural England or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Local authorities also have the power to ban metal detecting and other activities through the use of byelaws and we would therefore recommend checking with the appropriate authority to ensure that no such ban is in place.
Finds
All objects found on our foreshore, other than treasure, are in principle the property of The Crown Estate and may potentially be claimed by us. The procedure for reporting finds and the general principle in terms of rewards for treasure and non-treasure are explained on the terms and conditions page.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme exists to record all archaeological finds made by the public in England and Wales. As part of our permit we require that all archaeological finds found on our land are reported to your local Finds Liaison Officer. Archaeological finds found in Northern Ireland should be reported to the Police or the Director of the Ulster Museum.
- Obtaining consent
Obtaining consent
First confirm that the area of foreshore is owned by The Crown Estate using our ownership maps.
Please visit the maps available from this page for foreshore in England and Wales.
At present maps are not available for foreshore in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although we hope to be able to provide these in due course.
If the maps are not clear it may be possible for a more detailed map to be produced but due to cost implications and copyright issues with Ordnance Survey these will only be available in relation to fairly small areas. Enquiries regarding ownership which should be as specific as possible should be directed to our 'Enquiries' email address.
Once you have established that the area of foreshore is owned by us, please register and acknowledge your acceptance of our terms and conditions. The address you give when registering should be the same that will be used in any correspondence regarding any finds.
Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email containing a link to the terms and conditions. You will not be issued with a card or other form of permit. The confirmation email will contain a permit number which is all you will need in correspondence with us regarding any finds.
We also ask you to read the Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales, available on the FINDS website, and abide by its terms. The code has been endorsed by the main archaeological, landowner and metal-detecting organisations including the National Council for Metal Detecting and Federation of Independent Detectorists.
- Note: River Thames only
Note: The River Thames only
In respect of the River Thames foreshore only, we jointly administer a permit with the Port of London authority. Due to the sensitive archaeological nature of the Thames, foreshore searching is banned or subject to additional restrictions in a number of locations.
For a permit, please contact:
Port of London Authority
London River House
Royal Pier Road
Gravesend- Maps
-
Please note: foreshore which forms part of The Crown Estate is marked in purple on the maps.
Please find on this page links to maps of our foreshore in England and Wales.
At present maps are not available for foreshore in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although we hope to be able to provide these in due course.
Foreshore which forms part of The Crown Estate is marked on the maps in purple. Whilst every care has been taken to be as accurate as possible, these areas are indicative only.
Accessibility - for further help with accessing the information held on any of the maps, please contact Iain Mills, Coastal Manager:
telephone 020 7851 5267
email Iain Mills
Please note: a Crown Estate permit only applies to those areas marked in purple.
Map downloads
- East Anglia (PDF, 2.3 MB)
- East of England (PDF, 1.10 MB)
- North East England (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- North Wales (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- North West England (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- South East England (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- South Wales (PDF, 2.2 MB)
- South West England (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- South of England (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Map index (PDF, 2.0 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Get in touch
Useful documents
- Marine estate: Who we are and what we do (PDF, 991 KB)
- Marine estate: Our strategy until 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Marine all activity map (PDF, 4.2 MB)
- Memorandum of understanding with MMO (PDF, 1.6 MB)
