Charles Edward Milnes was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England on 24 May 1862. He was the son of the architect Eli Milnes (1830-1899 with whom he may have received his training as an architect). In 1888 he became a partner in his father's practice, Milnes & France in Bradford, which he had co-founded in 1863 with Charles France (1833-1902). France's son, Arthur Alderson France (1863-1916), also joined the practice in 1888.
Following the death of their respective fathers, Charles Edward Milnes and Arthur Alderson France took over the running of the firm. In 1905 they submitted an entry in the competition to design Lambeth Municipal Buildings, Their entry is illustrated in British Competitions in Architecture vol. 1, no. 1, January 1905 (pp. 37, 38). Charles Edward Milnes died in Bournemouth in 1935