Annual Report and Accounts

A year of Better Places

Through heritage, we help improve civic pride, prosperity, wellbeing and opportunity for the people and places most in need of our support.

Success on the High Street

An independent evaluation of our High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) programme revealed how this heritage-led approach to regeneration sparked local economic growth, creating 700 jobs and helped bring communities together through 1,695 public events. Building on this success, we launched a new Heritage Action Zone in Bradford, supporting its preparations to be UK City of Culture 2025.

Blue plaques

We erected three national blue plaques, commemorating the lives and achievements of matinee idol Cary Grant, musician George Harrison and ceramist Clarice Cliff.

Better Places Partnership

Collaborating with six Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) Arm’s Length Bodies, we led the Better Places Partnership to support culture-led regeneration schemes funded by the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund. With our partners, we provided practical support and guidance to councils delivering these high-impact projects.

Delivering heritage building skills

Our Heritage Building Skills programme reached the final year of its pilot phase. Through it, we have supported 44 trainees from diverse backgrounds to gain valuable construction and conservation skills.

A year of inclusive opportunities

We want to ensure that everyone can connect with, enjoy and benefit from the historic environment.

Diversity in the workforce

We published our first Heritage Sector Workforce Diversity survey. The findings highlighted low social mobility and under-representation of ethnic minorities and disabled people in senior roles. In response, we are developing initiatives to support inclusive practice and broaden entry into the sector.

Celebrating working class heritage

Our Everyday Heritage grants continued to highlight working-class histories, this time focusing on rural and coastal locations. Among the 30 funded projects was a celebration of Pontins holiday camp in Norfolk.

Empowering young people

Our History in the Making grant scheme continues to empower under-represented young people aged 13–25 to explore and celebrate their own heritage. Following a call for applications, 21 new projects are now underway, selected with help from our Young Advisors.

A year of planning, listing, conservation advice and investment

We are securing positive change and sustainable futures for historic places through our expertise, advice and investment.

Saving historic places

We helped restore 128 historic buildings and places through Heritage at Risk repair grants, totalling £7.24 million. These included £550,000 for Colchester’s Jumbo Water Tower and nearly £98,000 to save a medieval Tithe Barn in Upminster. Each grant was supported by specialist advice from our regional teams.

An extra £15 million for Heritage at Risk

We secured an additional £15 million from DCMS for the new Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, a one-year scheme, for 2025-26, targeting neglected sites in deprived areas.

Heritage at Risk Register

The Heritage at Risk Register was updated again this year with the removal of 124 sites now saved for future generations, including Saltdean Lido in Brighton and the Grade II listed Goods Shed in Darlington.

Restoring rural heritage

Our Countryside Stewardship Heritage Service, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), supported over 50 landowners in its first year, securing more than £5 million for feasibility studies and capital works to restore rural heritage. Defra has confirmed funding for a second year.

Supporting the planning system

Our regional development advice teams continue to support statutory planning. Last year, we responded to 12,493 planning permission and listed building consent cases, meeting the agreed deadlines in 99.7% of instances.

Newly listed sites

252 historic places have been added to the National Heritage List for England, including 216 new Listed Buildings, 31 new Scheduled Monuments and 5 new Registered Parks and Gardens. New additions include: a cabmen’s shelter in St John’s Wood, London; a church in the middle of a Bristol shopping centre and a Birmingham pub credited as the birthplace of heavy metal.

A year of climate action

Our leadership ensures that heritage plays an important role in the fight to limit the impact of climate change on the environment.

Adapting older buildings for the future

We published a new Advice Note on how to reduce carbon emissions in historic buildings while preserving their character. Aimed at planning authorities, heritage consultants, and building owners, the advice supports energy efficiency through sensitive repair and retrofit.

Bridging the retrofit skills gap

In partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw, we launched a new handbook to support learners undertaking retrofit qualifications, in light of a significant skills gap. With around 6.5 million pre-1919 buildings across the UK, equipping the workforce with the right skills is essential to addressing climate change.

Energy Efficiency Advice Campaign

In the winter, we ran a public campaign to promote our online energy efficiency advice hub for older homes. It reached wide audiences through digital and social advertising and influencer partnerships.

A year of stewardship of the National Collections

Our effective management of the National Collections ensures they have a sustainable future.

Visitor operations passed on to English Heritage

We transferred visitor operations at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings to English Heritage, which now oversees The Mill exhibition, guided tours, shop, and education visits. Since its restoration and reopening in 2022, the site has welcomed nearly 60,000 visitors.

Historic office space in demand

We are seeing growing demand for office space at the Flaxmill. Marley Risk Management has taken over the entire second floor of the Main Mill, and we are in discussion with other prospective tenants.

A growing archive

The Historic England Archive acquired the Janette Rosing Collection – more than 8,000 photographs taken between the mid-1800s and early 1900s. Assembled over 50 years, this world-class collection features works by leading photographers documenting England’s landscapes, architecture, and maritime history during industrialisation

A year of developing Historic England

We are valued, adaptable and equipped to deliver our purpose to safeguard the history that surrounds us.

Mastering Microsoft 365

We successfully delivered Microsoft 365 Tech Savvy, a digital training programme. Over 110 hours of live sessions and 132 coaching sessions helped to build skills and confidence across the organisation.

Progressing the Digital Strategy

Our digital strategy is steadily progressing towards several project deliveries throughout the year, building a culture that embraces digital, data and technology. A key deliverable is a new grants management solution that will provide a single business system to manage the entire grants process.

We are also developing a new case management system. Replacing our current system ConCase, it is designed to increase security, adaptability and processing speed, while making it easier to onboard new users.