A history of the National Heritage Collection has been published by English Heritage (EH) in a series of eight reports, free to download online.
EH writes:
This is the most in-depth research into the history of the collection ever undertaken. It tells the story of how the British state accumulated more than 400 historic buildings and sites in England, to be repaired, protected and opened to the public. These are now cared for by English Heritage.
Among them are some of our most important prehistoric monuments, Roman sites, medieval castles and abbeys, and Georgian country houses. The reports cover a 100 year period from the beginning of the collection in 1882 through to the formation of English Heritage in 1983. They tell us more about the rich, and often unusual, history the sites enjoy. From the keeper of Richborough Roman Fort being paid in animal feed to the gun platform at Yarmouth Castle on the Isle of Wight being used as a venue for tea parties.
