Catalogue description Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Department of the Environment: Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments, Registered Files (HB Series)

Ancient Monuments Boards and Historic Buildings Councils The Ancient Monuments Act 1913 provided for the appointment by the commissioners of works of Ancient Monuments Boards for England, Scotland and Wales consisting of archaeologists, historians and representatives of learned societies and interested public bodies to advise them on the making of preservation orders concerning monuments in danger of destruction or damage. The boards had power to inspect any monument in such danger even against the wishes of the occupier. The Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 obliged them to report annually to the minister of works.

The same act empowered the minister to appoint Historic Buildings Councils for England, Wales and Scotland to advise him on the exercise of his powers to make grants and loans towards the repair and maintenance of historic buildings, to acquire such buildings or to assist organisations like the National Trust to acquire them. The councils were also given more general responsibities in relation to historic buildings.

In 1966 control over them was transferred to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and thence to the Department of the Environment in 1970 except for Welsh monuments which became the responsibility of the Welsh Office (404) and, from April 1991, of Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency.