Historic England and the English Heritage Trust
The official name of Historic England is the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. It was first established in 1984 and until 1 April 2015 was commonly known as English Heritage.
At that point its common name changed to Historic England and a new charity, officially called the English Heritage Trust, took the name of English Heritage.
English Heritage’s role
English Heritage looks after the National Heritage Collection of more than 400 state-owned historic sites and monuments across England.
It cares for and opens them to the public under a licence from Historic England.
We have agreed and signed a new ‘Property Licence and Operating Agreement’ with English Heritage, which came into effect from 1 April 2025. It will be for an initial 10-year period, after which there will be two possible five-year extensions on the same terms, providing options to take the full term of the licence to March 2045.
Historic England will also be the sole member of English Heritage who will appoint trustees to its board.
Also of interest
