[5] The body also inherited the Historic England Archive from the former English Heritage, and projects linked to the archive such as Britain from Above, which saw the archive work with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland to digitise, catalogue and put online 96,000 of the oldest Aerofilms images.

It is tasked to secure the preservation and enhancement of the human-made heritage of England for the benefit of future generations.

The management of listed buildings is the responsibility of local planning authorities and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

[14] The Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport appoints members of the Commission, which is the governing board of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and oversees the work of Historic England.

[17] The body is run by an executive team, led since the 2015 restructuring by Duncan Wilson.