Thread by @EnglishHeritage

Our historic places are bursting with stories about the people who built, conquered and lived in them. We thought #NationalStorytellingWeek would be a great time to tell the story of how we became a charity in ten tweets.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.

The extraordinary collection of buildings and monuments now in our care began to be amassed in 1882. At the time, heritage was the responsibility of the Office of Works (the government department responsible for architecture and building) #NationalStorytellingWeek 1/10

In 1913 an Act of Parliament was passed granting The Office of Works new powers; to make a collection of all the greatest sites and buildings that told the story of Britain #NationalStorytellingWeek 2/10

At that stage, the most important historic places were regarded as being prehistoric and medieval remains - country houses and industrial sites were then not really seen as heritage - how times have changed! #NationalStorytellingWeek 3/10

Preservation of these important historic places was, of course, the primary objective, but telling their stories was almost as important (and still is today!) #NationalStorytellingWeek 4/10

By 1933 there were 273 sites in the collection including Stonehenge, Rievaulx Abbey, Carisbrooke Castle and Richborough Roman Fort. #NationalStorytellingWeek 5/10

In 1983 the collective name for the organisation had become known as the very unsnappy "Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission". It was re-christened English Heritage under the leadership of its first Chairman, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu #NationalStorytellingWeek 6/10

Along with the new name, membership grew, visitor numbers increased, and more people enjoyed the collections more than ever before #NationalStorytellingWeek 7/10

On 1 April 2015 the old English Heritage separated into two parts: a charity that looks after the collections, and @HistoricEngland that champions the nation's wider heritage, running the listing system, dealing with planning and giving grants #NationalStorytellingWeek 8/10

The collection of historic places now managed by English Heritage has grown to over 400, each with its own unique and special story #NationalStorytellingWeek 9/10

Today, we welcome over 10 million visitors a year which, along with our members and donors helps ensure the care and conservation of these special and important places. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our story #NationalStorytellingWeek 10/10