The success of TV programmes such as the BBC's House Detectives demonstrates the public appetite for information about the buildings and places in which they live and work. Far greater effort should be put into capitalising on this to engage people's latent interest in the historic environment. The vast resources of the RCHME and other public archives should be made available through one integrated online archive, providing free access to information on individual historic properties, streets and areas. The project should collate old photographs, descriptions, and other historical information that would be of interest and help to owners and locals. Starting with list descriptions and the Images of England project, the scheme could gradually add English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw and RCHME historical reports, the Survey of London, Heritage Lottery Fund project conservation plans, archaeological surveys, information from county record offices and local history libraries and reports compiled by bodies such as the Council for the Care of Churches. The online Pevsner, Country Life articles and photos and extracts from the Victoria County Histories could be integrated as well.

The aim should to be to create a site on which simply typing in the name of a building, street or area will call up all available information, plus a bibliography and the location of other sources. It should also include a simple guide to doing your own detective work in local libraries and record offices.

From the start the public must be able to contribute too - interested individuals and local history groups should help provide information and the archive could act as a depository for the many local study projects that will be funded over the next ten years by the Heritage Lottery Fund's new Local Heritage Initiative.

The project could and should be started now by English Heritage in association with county record offices and launched with the BBC