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English Heritage

English Heritage, formally the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Simon Thurley has been chief executive since 2002.

It was set up under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1983. Its functions for maintaining ancient monuments had previously been undertaken by part of the Department of the Environment which was the successor to the Ministry of Works. The 1983 Act also dissolved the bodies that had hitherto provided independent advice, the Ancient Monuments Board for England and the Historic Buildings Council for England and incorporated these functions in the new body. Another advisory body, the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was not merged with English Heritage until 1 April 1999.

English Heritage's best known role is as the steward of a large number of significant historical and archaeological sites, from Stonehenge to the world's earliest iron bridge. In 2007/08, 5.3 million visits were paid to staffed English Heritage properties. It also has major responsibilities in conservation, giving advice, registering and protecting the historic environment. It also maintains a public archive, the National Monuments Record (NMR).

English Heritage describes itself as the Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment. Officially known as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, English Heritage is an Executive Non-departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (DCMS). Our powers and responsibilities are set out in the National Heritage Act (1983) and today we report to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Members of the public are able, and encouraged, to join English Heritage. Membership confers benefits such as free admission to its properties. In 2007/08 membership was 665,000. However, it does not give the member a say in the running of the organisation. In contrast, such policy is common for similar organisations, such as the National Trust.