Historic Environment Scotland

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) (Scottish Gaelic: Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Scotland with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). Among other duties, Historic Environment Scotland maintains more than 300 properties of national importance including Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae and Fort George.

Historic Environment Scotland

Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba
Longmore House in Edinburgh, headquarters of Historic Environment Scotland
Organisation overview
Formed	1 October 2015; 7 years ago (2015-10-01)
Preceding agencies	Historic Scotland Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
Type	Non-departmental public body
Jurisdiction	Scotland
Headquarters	Longmore House, Edinburgh
Employees	1,500+ (incl. volunteers)
Minister responsible	Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture
Organisation executives	Alex Paterson, Chief Executive Hugh Hall, Chairperson
Website	www.historicenvironment.scot

History

The responsibilities of HES were formerly split between Historic Scotland, a government agency responsible for properties of national importance, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), which collected and managed records about Scotland's historic environment.^[1] Under the terms of a Bill of the Scottish Parliament published on 3 March 2014,^[2] the pair were dissolved and their functions transferred to Historic Environment Scotland, on 1 October 2015.^[3]

Historic Environment Scotland is a non-departmental public body with charitable status, governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Scottish Ministers. The body is charged with implementing "Our Place in Time", Scotland's historic environment strategy, and has responsibility for buildings and monuments in state care, as well as national collections of manuscripts, drawings and photographs. Beyond these collections, Historic Environment Scotland provide funding and guidance for conservation works and education across Scotland.^[4]

Canmore is an online database maintained by Historic Environment Scotland since 2015. Previously it was maintained by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The National Collection of Aerial Photography is also now a sub-brand of HES.^[5]

See also

• List of Historic Environment Scotland properties
• Listed buildings in Scotland
• Scheduled monument
• Scottish Ten
• Scottish Natural Heritage
• National Trust for Scotland
• Who Built Scotland: A History of the Nation in Twenty-Five Buildings
• Organisations which play a similar role to HES in the other countries of the United Kingdom:
  • Cadw and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
  • Historic England and English Heritage
  • The Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland (previously part of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency)

References

1. "A new lead public body for the historic environment" (PDF). Historic Environment Scotland.
2. "Historic Environment Scotland Bill". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
3. McKenzie, Steven (30 September 2015). . BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016.
4. "About Historic Environment Scotland". Historic Environment Scotland.
5. "National Collection of Aerial Photography". www.historicenvironment.scot. Retrieved 4 January 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Historic Environment Scotland.

• Official website