Albion Archaeology
Albion Archaeology is a UK commercial archaeological and heritage services firm operating as a trading unit of Central Bedfordshire Council, founded in 1974 and based at St Mary's Church, Bedford. It delivers heritage planning, archaeological fieldwork, built heritage assessment, and specialist services to private developers, public sector clients, schools, and community groups across six English counties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersBedford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Albion Archaeology does
Albion Archaeology is a UK-based commercial archaeological and heritage services firm established in 1974 as the Bedfordshire County Archaeology Service and now operating as a trading unit of Central Bedfordshire Council. The firm is headquartered at the grade 1-listed St Mary's Church in Bedford, where it has been based since 1991, and maintains a public exhibition area. Its core services span heritage and planning, archaeological fieldwork, built heritage assessment, and specialist archaeological services, delivered to private sector developers, public sector clients, educational institutions, and community groups across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire. The firm operates both as a primary contractor at the planning stage and as a sub-contractor on construction sites, with direct client engagement and quote-based commercial pricing.
The underlying service model is project-based professional services revenue, with a secondary publication revenue stream derived from monograph sales (£8 per copy plus postage), grey literature reports, and educational booklets (£2), distributed through CBA South Midlands with free PDF downloads available for select titles. The technology stack is human-expertise-driven: specialist archaeologists, heritage planners, and built heritage assessors deliver services manually with no disclosed AI, software platform, or automation tooling. The firm is affiliated with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and partners with FAME Archaeology, indicating participation in professional industry networks.
Go-to-market is sales-led, with direct quotation and fee proposals to enterprise developers and public sector buyers, supplemented by community outreach, school visits, public talks, exhibitions, and a published monograph series serving as content marketing and brand-building channels. Customer concentration spans enterprise developers (e.g., Miller Homes East Midlands Ltd), the parent council, schools, and community groups. The firm carries no external investors, has no subsidiaries, has conducted no M&A, and has no disclosed funding rounds, reflecting its public-sector trading unit ownership structure.
Albion Archaeology firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Albion Archaeology
- Legal name
- Albion Archaeology
- Website
- https://albionarchaeology.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Albion Archaeology is a UK commercial archaeological and heritage services firm operating as a trading unit of Central Bedfordshire Council, founded in 1974 and based at St Mary's Church, Bedford. It delivers heritage planning, archaeological fieldwork, built heritage assessment, and specialist services to private developers, public sector clients, schools, and community groups across six English counties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Albion Archaeology industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Archaeological and Heritage Services
- NAICS
- Museums (71211)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)
Keywords
Where Albion Archaeology is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bedford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Albion Archaeology business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Archaeological Services: Project-based archaeological and heritage services provided to private developers, public sector clients, and individuals for planning and development purposes
- Publication Sales: Sale of monographs, grey literature reports, and educational booklets. Monographs are distributed by CBA South Midlands with free PDF downloads available for some titles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Albion Monographs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Publication Booklets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Albion Archaeology product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Albion Archaeology is a professional archaeological and heritage services provider offering pre-planning heritage advice, on-site archaeological fieldwork (excavation, survey, recording), built heritage assessment of historic buildings and structures, and specialist archaeological services for complex heritage projects. Services are delivered to private developers, public sector clients, and individuals across the East of England and South Midlands, with companion educational outreach and a monograph publication programme.
Product overview
Albion Archaeology is a professional archaeological and heritage services provider that operates as a trading unit of Central Bedfordshire Council. The company offers a unified portfolio of services including Heritage and Planning, Archaeological Fieldwork, Built Heritage, and Specialist Services. Complementing these core offerings are Community Engagement and Educational Outreach programs that involve the public in archaeological work. The company also publishes its research through its Monograph Series, grey literature site reports, and the Bedfordshire Archaeology journal. The company is based at St Mary's Church in Bedford and serves both private and public sector clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Heritage and Planning Heritage and planning advisory service that supports private and public sector clients (and individuals) in navigating archaeological and built-heritage requirements within the UK planning process, including pre-planning assessment and advice on planning conditions.
- Archaeological Fieldwork On-site archaeological investigation service delivering excavation, surveying, and recording for development and infrastructure projects, performed as either a primary contractor at the planning stage or as a sub-contractor on construction sites.
- Built Heritage Specialist assessment and recording service for historic buildings and structures, supporting clients with heritage asset evaluation and documentation as part of development or preservation projects.
- Specialist Services Provision of specialist archaeological expertise for complex or non-standard heritage projects that fall outside routine fieldwork or built heritage work.
- Publications Published research output including a monograph series, grey literature site reports, and the Bedfordshire Archaeology journal, sold via CBA South Midlands (£8 per monograph plus postage and packaging; £2 for educational booklets), with selected titles available as free PDF downloads.
Companies that use Albion Archaeology
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Albion Archaeology technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Albion Archaeology partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Central Bedfordshire CouncilcoreAlbion Archaeology is a trading unit of Central Bedfordshire Council. The council operates as the parent organization providing governance and institutional framework for the archaeological services.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Albion Archaeology competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Historic England: Public body that sets heritage policy and provides guidance for planning-related heritage decisions. Not a direct competitor but is the regulatory framework within which Albion's planning and built-heritage services operate.
Direct peers
- MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology): Major UK commercial archaeology organisation delivering planning-stage heritage services, fieldwork, and post-excavation publication. Overlaps with Albion in heritage planning, developer-funded investigations, and community/educational engagement.
- Cotswold Archaeology: UK commercial archaeological services firm with a similar integrated offering — heritage and planning, fieldwork, built heritage, and community engagement. Closely comparable regional service provider with comparable customer segments.
- Headland Archaeology: Commercial archaeology firm delivering field investigations, heritage planning, and built heritage recording for infrastructure and development clients. Comparable professional services model and client base to Albion.
- Pre-Construct Archaeology: UK commercial archaeology firm specialising in planning-stage heritage assessment and developer-funded fieldwork. Directly overlaps with Albion's core pre-planning and fieldwork services.
- Wessex Archaeology: One of the UK's largest commercial archaeological and heritage service providers, offering pre-planning assessment, fieldwork, built heritage, and specialist services across multiple regions. Directly comparable to Albion's integrated service model and developer/public-sector client mix.
- AOC Archaeology: Independent UK archaeology consultancy providing heritage planning, fieldwork, and specialist services to developers and public bodies. Comparable scale and integrated commercial offering.
- Oxford Archaeology: Large UK archaeological services provider with heritage planning, fieldwork, and publication activities. Comparable operating model targeting developers, public sector, and educational clients across multiple English regions.
Others
- CIfA (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists): Professional body for archaeologists in the UK. Not a competitor, but is referenced as an accreditation/standards body on Albion's site — relevant ecosystem participant for sector standards and quality assurance.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Albion Archaeology social profiles
Digital presenceAlbion Archaeology financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Albion Archaeology leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Albion Archaeology funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Albion Archaeology M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Albion Archaeology
What does Albion Archaeology do?
Albion Archaeology is a professional archaeological and heritage services provider offering pre-planning heritage advice, on-site archaeological fieldwork (excavation, survey, recording), built heritage assessment of historic buildings and structures, and specialist archaeological services for complex heritage projects. Services are delivered to private developers, public sector clients, and individuals across the East of England and South Midlands, with companion educational outreach and a monograph publication programme.
Is Albion Archaeology a public or private company?
Albion Archaeology is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Albion Archaeology founded?
Albion Archaeology was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Albion Archaeology based?
Albion Archaeology is headquartered in Bedford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Albion Archaeology make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commercial Archaeological Services are the primary driver. The others are publication Sales.
Who are Albion Archaeology's main competitors?
Historic England is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), Cotswold Archaeology, Headland Archaeology, Pre-Construct Archaeology, Wessex Archaeology, AOC Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology. CIfA (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists) is listed as an others.
Does Albion Archaeology have an API?
No public API is recorded for Albion Archaeology.
What industry is Albion Archaeology in?
Albion Archaeology's product category is Archaeological and Heritage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAG, Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAH, Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning. Its NAICS code is 71211 and its SIC code is 8700.