The Berkshire Downs offer classic chalk detecting, while the Thames Valley gravels in the north produce material from every period. One of the most productive southern counties.
FROM THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
Selected archaeological finds from the PAS records for Berkshire.
POST MEDIEVALA silver sixpence of Elizabeth I (AD 1558-1603) dating to AD 1569. Initial mark: coronet. Mint: London. North.1997.
Explore this findPhoto: West Berkshire Council · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
POST MEDIEVALAn incomplete pipe clay wig curler dating to c. 1650-1800. The remaining portion of the object is 40.1mm in length, with a shaft of…
Explore this findPhoto: Surrey County Council · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
Chalk downland dominates the south (the Berkshire Downs), giving excellent preservation and good depth. Thames Valley to the north has rich gravel terraces with finds from Bronze Age through medieval.
Chalk downland arable fields, Thames Valley gravel terraces, fields adjacent to Roman roads (Ermin Street, Devil’s Highway)
Bronze Age and Iron Age metalwork on the Downs, Roman coins and military fittings, Saxon and Viking material in the Thames corridor, medieval coins
Lambourn Valley has produced significant Bronze Age hoards. Roman Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) sits just over the Hampshire border and influences the whole region.
The chalk gives genuinely excellent depth. Run your coil slow on the Downs – targets are often deep. Thames gravels can be mineralised near the river.
You can detect on private land in Berkshire with the landowner’s permission. You must avoid scheduled monuments, SSSIs and other protected sites. Joining a local club is the easiest way to reach permissioned land.
Yes. Metal detecting is legal in Berkshire on land where you have the landowner’s permission, as long as you avoid protected sites and follow the law on reporting treasure and recording finds.
Berkshire is covered by a Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer who records finds made by the public. See the FLO section on this page for contact details, or search finds.org.uk.
PAS lists 13,757 database records representing 16,732 recorded objects for Berkshire, checked 2 November 2026. These are recorded entries rather than a count of every find made. The period and object-type categories shown in the PAS section are selected, incomplete lists.
It depends where you want to detect. Reading offers a restricted permit scheme, while West Berkshire generally does not allow recreational detecting on council land. Check the council responsible for your site.
PAS data from finds.org.uk. Last checked 2 November 2026.
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