Editing English Heritage (section)

===Non-departmental public body===
Over the centuries, what is now called "heritage" has been the responsibility of a series of state departments. There was the "Kings Works" after the [[Norman Conquest]], the [[Office of Works]] (1378–1832), the [[Commissioners of Woods and Forests|Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues and Works]] (1832–1851), and the [[Ministry of Works (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Works]] (1851–1962). Responsibility subsequently transferred to the [[Ministry of Public Building and Works]] (1962–1970), then to the [[Department of the Environment (UK)|Department of the Environment]] (1970–1997), and it is now with the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]] (DCMS).<ref>English Heritage leaflet "The evolution of the National Monument Record"</ref> The state's legal responsibility for the historic environment goes back to the [[Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heritagelaw.org/AMA-1882- |title=AMA-1882 Ancient Monuments Act |access-date=13 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817201114/http://heritagelaw.org/AMA-1882- |archive-date=17 August 2011}}</ref> The central government subsequently developed several systems of heritage protection for different types of assets, introducing listing for buildings after the [[Second World War]], and for conservation areas in the 1960s.

In 1983, Secretary of State for the Environment [[Michael Heseltine]] gave national responsibility for the historic environment to a semi‑autonomous agency (or "[[quango]]") to operate under ministerial guidelines and to government policy. '''The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission''' was formed under the terms of the [[National Heritage Act 1983]] on 1 April 1984.<ref name="2013/14 Annual Report">{{cite web |title=English Heritage Annual Report and Accounts 2013/14 |url=https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/eh-ann-rep-accounts-13-14/eh-ann-rep-accounts-2013-14.pdf/ |website=Historic England |access-date=6 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413044319/https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/eh-ann-rep-accounts-13-14/eh-ann-rep-accounts-2013-14.pdf/ |archive-date=13 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Heritage Act 1983 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/47/crossheading/historic-buildings-and-monuments-commission-for-england |access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> The 1983 Act also dissolved the bodies that had previously provided independent advice – the Ancient Monuments Board for England and the [[Historic Buildings Council for England]] – and incorporated those functions into the new body. Soon after, the commission was given the operating name of '''English Heritage''' by its first chairman, [[Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu|Lord Montagu of Beaulieu]].<ref name="EH History"/>

[[File:English Heritage Commemorative Plaques Conference (4368209823).jpg|thumb|English Heritage commemorative plaques conference, 2010. English Heritage began administering the London [[blue plaque]] scheme in 1986.]]

A [[national register of historic parks and gardens]], (e.g. [[Rangers House]], Greenwich) was set up in 1984,<ref>Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England: "Report and Accounts 1983–1985" p26</ref> and a register for historic battlefields (e.g. the [[Battle of Tewkesbury]]) was created in March 1995.<ref>English Heritage Annual Report and Accounts "Working in Partnership" 1994/1995 p 6 & 41</ref> 'Registration' is a material consideration in the planning process. In April 1999 English Heritage merged with the [[Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England]] (RCHME)<ref>[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/conservation-bulletin-35/ ''Conservation Bulletin'', Issue 35, April 1999]</ref> and the [[Historic England Archive|National Monuments Record]] (NMR), bringing together resources for the identification and survey of England's historic environment. By adoption, that included responsibility for the national record of archaeological sites from the [[Ordnance Survey]], the National Library of Aerial Photographs, and two million RAF and Ordnance Survey aerial photographs. Those, together with other nationally important external acquisitions, meant that English Heritage was one of the largest publicly accessible archives in the UK: 2.53&nbsp;million records are available online, including more than 426,000 images. In 2010–11, it recorded 4.3&nbsp;million unique online user sessions<ref name="EHannualreport2010-11">{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/eh-ann-rep-accounts-10-11/ |title=English Heritage Annual Report 2010–2011 |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> and over 110,000 people visited NMR exhibitions held around the country in 2009–10.<ref name="EHAnnualReport2009-10"/> In 2012, the section responsible for archive collections was renamed the English Heritage Archive.

As a result of the [[National Heritage Act 2002]], English Heritage acquired administrative responsibility for historic wrecks and submerged landscapes within {{convert|12|mi}} of the English coast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/14/contents |title=National Heritage Act 2002 |access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> The administration of the [[listed building]] system was transferred from DCMS to English Heritage in 2006. However, actual listing decisions still remained the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who was required by the [[Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990]] to approve a list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

Following the Public Bodies Reform<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Bodies Reform – Proposals For Change |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010-10-14-Public-bodies-list-FINAL.pdf |access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> in 2010, English Heritage was confirmed as the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, and the largest source of non-lottery grant funding for heritage assets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Environment |url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/historic_environment/default.aspx |access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> It was retained on grounds of "performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government". However, the department also suffered from budget cuts during the recession of the 2010s, resulting in a repairs deficit of £100&nbsp;million.<ref name="Telegraph EHT"/>