English Heritage is the Government’s statutory adviser in the historic environment. Our role is to champion and care for the historic environment which we do by:

• improving understanding of the past through research and study;
• providing conservation grants, advisory and education services;
• identifying and helping to protect buildings and archaeological sites of national importance;
• maintaining over 400 properties and making them accessible to the broadest possible public audience; and
• maintaining the National Monuments Record as the central publicly accessible archive for the historic environment in England.

We are sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which has overall responsibility for heritage policy in England and from whom we receive around 75% of our funding. We also work closely with Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), who are co-signatories to our Funding Agreement.

English Heritage Offices

We have central offices based in London and Swindon and nine regional offices, through which the vast majority of our work with local authorities is done. Contact details for those local offices are below:

The Commission

The Commission is the governing Board of English Heritage. Its role is to establish the overall strategic direction of the organisation within the policy and resources framework agreed with Government. The Commission comprises a maximum of 17 individuals, appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, for their skill or professional standing in one or more areas
of expertise. The Commission is currently made up of:

• Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe CBE (Interim Chairman)
• Ms Lynda Addison OBE
• Ms Maria Adebowale
• Mrs Joyce Bridges CBE
• Professor Sir David Cannadine
• Mr Manish Chande
• Mrs Gilly Drummond OBE
• Mr Michael Jolly CBE
• Ms Jane Kennedy
• Lord Leicester
• Mr Chris Wilkinson OBE
• Ms Elizabeth Williamson

Commission has established a range of non-executive committees to advise staff and the Commission on specific business, strategy, policy and casework matters. Members are drawn from appropriate areas of expertise and offer independent, expert advice.

Executive Board

The Commission delegates operational management to the Chief Executive who also serves as Accounting Officer on behalf of DCMS. The Chief Executive is supported by an Executive Board comprising the Executive Directors of English Heritage’s five operational groups: Planning and Development; Conservation and Protection; National Advice and Information; Properties and Education; and Resources. The Executive Board meets monthly. It focuses on managing and delivering the corporate strategy, major policy issues, corporate projects and key risks and it reviews issues for reporting to Commission. The Executive Board is currently made up of:

• Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive
• Keith Harrison, Director of Resources
• Dr Edward Impey, Director of Conservation and Protection
• Deborah Lamb, Director of National Advice and Information
• Mark Pemberton, Director of Properties and Education

More information on the structure of English Heritage can be found on the main English Heritage website.

Joint working in the regions

Currently under revision in light of recent changes to government policy

In early 2009 English Heritage, along with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Sport England, and the Arts Council England finalised eight regional action plans (London has its own separate arrangements) which spell out how each of these bodies will co-ordinate their work in the regions. These plans describe which areas we will be working jointly and which of the partners will be in the lead for that area of work. Each plan is a living document, which is regularly updated to reflect changing local circumstances.

The plans do not represent the sum total of our work with regional and local government, but only that work which would benefit from co-ordinated working with our cultural partners.

If you wish to see a copy of a region’s action plan, please see the link included beneath that regional offices address.