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Historic Scotland is an executive agency
Executive agency

An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland Executive....
 of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

Its website states:

It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry. Membership is available, renewable annually which admits the holder to all properties free of charge and equivalent sites in England and Wales (at half price in the first year and free thereafter).






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Historic Scotland is an executive agency
Executive agency

An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland Executive....
 of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

Its website states:

It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry. Membership is available, renewable annually which admits the holder to all properties free of charge and equivalent sites in England and Wales (at half price in the first year and free thereafter). It publishes a quarterly magazine as well as many guidebooks and manuals, in partnership with HMSO or private publishing companies. Since its inception (as successor organisation to the Ancient Monuments Division of the Ministry of Works
Ministry of Works

The Ministry of Works was a department of the UK Government formed in 1943, during World War II, to organise the requisitioning of property for wartime use....
 and the Scottish Development Department) it has increased the number of events run at its sites, most frequently designed to engage young people with history. Similarly, new museums and visitor centres have been opened, notably at Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey

Arbroath Abbey, in the scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by William I of Scotland for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey....
 and Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle sits beside Loch Ness in Scotland along the A82 road, between Fort William, Highland and Inverness. It is close to the village of Drumnadrochit....
. There is also a hospitality
Hospitality

Hospitality refers to the relationship process between a guest and a host, and it also refers to the act or practice of being hospitable, that is, the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill....
 section, which makes some properties available for wedding
Wedding

File:Pimenov SvadbaOnTomorrowStreet.jpgA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, country, and social classes....
 receptions and functions.

As an arm of government, Historic Scotland has similar functions to its counterparts in other parts of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
:

  • English Heritage
    English Heritage

    English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England....
     in England (although EH is a non-departmental public body
    Non-departmental public body

    In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and Scottish public bodies to certain types of public bodies....
     rather than part of central government, like the others)
  • Cadw
    Cadw

    Cadw is a Wales-government body with the mission to protect, conserve, and to promote the built heritage of Wales. It is the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage and Historic Scotland and is now part of the Welsh Assembly Government....
     in Wales,
  • Environment and Heritage Service
    Environment and Heritage Service

    The Northern Ireland Environment Agency is a Northern Ireland Executive Conservation ethic agency within the Department of the Environment . Unlike the equivalent bodies in England, Scotland and Wales, it aims to promote and conserve both the natural environment and the built environment and to promote their appreciation by present and...
     in Northern Ireland.


The agency's Framework Document sets out the responsibilities of Scottish Minister's and the agency's Chief Executive. Its Corporate Plan sets out its targets and performance against them.

Historic Scotland's role has not been without controversy. In 2002, proposals to restore Castle Tioram
Castle Tioram

Castle Tioram is a Ruin that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland , Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 kilometres from Fort William, Highland....
 in the West Highlands, by putting a roof back on, were blocked by Historic Scotland, which favoured stabilising it as a ruin. This position was supported in an extensive Public Local Inquiry at which the arguments for both sides were heard. It has been implied that this dispute has led to a review of the operations of the organisation. Such disputes on the proper way to conserve a building are common, but are normally resolved within an academic context. Some believe that Historic Scotland seems to have had trouble dealing with a dispute spilling over into a major public argument, and has been seen as autocratic and out of touch with the economic needs of rural Scotland.

Historic Scotland is currently consulting on and publishing a comprehensive series of Scottish Historic Environment Policy papers, consolidated into a single volume in October 2008 .

See also

List of Historic Scotland sites Listed buildings in Scotland
  • Scheduled monument
  • Conservation in the United Kingdom
    Conservation in the United Kingdom

    This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation ethic in the United Kingdom.With the advent of devolved government for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and of evolving regional government for England, the responsibilities for environment and conservation in the United Kingdom have become m...
  • List of Conservation topics
    List of conservation topics

    This is a list of conservation topics. It is a list of articles relating to conservation biology and conservation of the natural environment....


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