Tower Bridge, London with pedestrians and cyclists in the foreground stopping to look at Historic England's I am London exhibition panels in a pedestrianised area on the south bank. — Historic England's I am London exhibition at More London Riverside, London Bridge City April 2017 © Historic England

Historic England's I am London exhibition at More London Riverside, London Bridge City April 2017 © Historic England

International Advisory Service

Historic England is the public body that looks after England's historic environment. We champion and protect historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them. This includes archaeology on land and under water, historic buildings and areas, designated landscapes and the historic elements of the wider landscape. More than 300,000 sites are nationally designated by Historic England across England and many more are locally protected and valued.

Historic England is also the government’s statutory advisor on international conventions, regulations and directives, including England’s 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other major developments. We collaborate with international organisations involved in heritage conservation such as ICCROM, ICOMOS, ICOM, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Monuments Fund, the European Union, the European Heritage Heads Forum, and the Council of Europe.

Nationally, we provide expert advice to local planning authorities, developers, owners and communities to help ensure our shared historic environment is properly understood, enjoyed and cared for using a collaborative and inclusive approach.

We do this by:

Research and innovation: Commissioning and conducting research on behalf of the heritage sector as well as producing the annual research surveys Heritage Counts into the state of England's heritage.
Archives, information and management: Caring for nationally important archives which document the historic environment of England
Protection: Providing advice for local authorities and communities to encourage a more consistent approach to the identification and management of local heritage assets across England
Grant giving: The distribution of grants to national and local organisations for the conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes
Heritage at Risk: The Heritage at Risk programme helps us understand the overall state of England’s historic sites. Launched in 2008 it identifies those sites that are most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Policy, advocacy and advice: Advising central UK government on which English heritage assets are nationally important and should be protected by designation (i.e. listing, scheduling etc), and advising local authorities on managing changes to the most important parts of heritage, as well as consulting and collaborating with other heritage bodies, local and national planning organisations
Training and capacity building: Providing expertise through advice, training and guidance to develop the skills of people working in heritage and practical conservation. In 2016–2017 we provided training opportunities to around 3,000 professionals working in local authorities and the wider sector
Local and international cooperation: Engaging with local communities to provide national-level expert advice to protect and enrich the heritage landscape and working with colleagues in other countries to share and develop heritage expertise