Public gardens comprising a series of seaside walks and gardens, laid out as publicly and privately owned features from the mid C19 to the 1930s, including work by Joseph Paxton in the 1850s. Drone view of conserved toilet block above Clock Café. View from north east. © Historic England Archive

Historic England Foundation

Helping people protect and enjoy England’s heritage.

From the extraordinary to the everyday, our historic places matter – to you, to us, to future generations. They are the legacy we want to pass on and the stories we continue to tell.

At the Historic England Foundation, we work to ensure our irreplaceable heritage is discovered, valued, protected and enjoyed by everyone.

Greening The Streets. Union Street, Wednesbury, West Midlands. Community group planting raised beds as part of Greening The Street, a wellbeing project suppported by Historic England. © Historic England Archive
We support and build on the work of Historic England and other heritage organisations, helping people and communities care for all kinds of historic spaces, from community centres to cathedrals, factories to fairgrounds, homes to high streets.
Restoring historic craftsmanship: hands-on conservation work on a patterned mosaic floor as part of a Heritage Building Skills project. © Historic England Archive
The Foundation delivers impact through a variety of initiatives such as practical conservation work, specialist training, archaeological projects and support for vulnerable heritage, helping to improve places and opportunities across England.

By supporting the Historic England Foundation, you help protect our shared heritage and strengthen the people, places and programmes that bring it to life.

Here are some of the initiatives your gift advances:

A conservator examining a glass plate negative.

Digitising the Archive

Historic England's archive is a visual treasure trove of the country's past. Over 14 million photos, drawings, reports and publications tell England's story from the 1850s to the present day. Around 1 million records are available online but, with your help, we can speed up catalouging and digitisation and make more collections accessible to everyone.

Historic England Archive staff member Saya Miles conserving a glass plate negative. Historic England Archive, Swindon. © Historic England DP164905
A person conserving plasterwork.

Emerging Talent

We're opening doors to heritage careers for people from all backgrounds.

The Emerging Talent programme offers paid training placements to people aged 16-30, bringing fresh ideas, experiences and creativity to the sector and nurturing the skills needed to look after heritage in the future.

A participant on the Future Talent programme, conserving a piece of one of the iconic Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. © Historic England More information
A blue plaque dedicated to George Harrison.

National Blue Plaque Scheme

We're fundraising to expand this iconic programme beyond London, helping communities across England to celebrate their local heroes.

A rigorous nominations process ensures that the stories of outstanding individuals live on and inspire for longer, with hand-crafted plaques that will last over a century.

A blue plaque dedicated to George Harrison. © Historic England

There are many ways to support our work, including: 

St Mary's Guildhall, 385 High Street, Lincoln, Lincolnshire Paul Booth of Booths Stonemasonry guiding apprentice Louis Graves carving his stonemasons mark. © Historic England Archive

Donate

Your gift could:

  • help young people to learn more about their local area's past
  • protect treasured buildings from the impacts of climate change
  • preserve traditional building skills and conservation methods
Donate
Kite making and flying workshop. Part of Dover’s Western Heights Regeneration project that has received capacity building grant funding from Historic England. © Historic England

Leave a gift in your Will

By leaving a legacy gift, you help champion heritage and ensure these places continue to shape and enrich lives for generations to come.
Find out more

Contact Us

If you have a general enquiry or wish to support the work of The Historic England Foundation, please email us:

[email protected]
Two engineers using a theodolite at a construction site by the sea.
J Bowker and A Manning with the 'Jay Robertson' in the background, a large jack-up barge working in the River Severn during the construction of the Second Severn Crossing. Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection. JLP01/10/54656.