Following over a year of consultation, this week sees the formal announcement from Ed Vaizey and Sir Laurie Magnus of the English Heritage split. This has not been widely trailed in the press, so for those who have not been aware of the plans – judging by a show of hands at a construction industry event recently you are in the majority – they boil down to the formation of a new standalone charity to care for the National Heritage Collection (think Stonehenge, castle ruins up and down the country and archaeological sites spread far and wide), and the continuation of the advice giving organisation as a non-departmental body. Rather confusingly, the charity will be known as English Heritage, with the advisory body becoming Historic England.