About the National Trust
The
founders of the National Trust believed that everyone needs nature, beauty and
history, so they set up the Trust to look after the nation’s coastline,
historic sites, countryside and green spaces.
With 5.37
million members, over 50,000 volunteers and 10,000 staff, the National Trust is
now the biggest conservation charity in Europe, caring for over 250,000
hectares of farmland, over 780 miles of coastline, and 500 historic properties,
gardens and nature reserves, for everyone, for ever.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/about-us/the-history-of-the-national-trust#cb-37411954-0
1800s
Foundation
and firsts
1884
The idea of
the National Trust is born
The idea of
the National Trust is born when Octavia Hill, one of the founders, is asked to
help preserve Sayes Court garden in South East London.
1895
The
National Trust is founded
Within a
few weeks of the National Trust being registered under the Companies Act, it is
given its first place: five acres of clifftop at Dinas Oleu in Wales.
1896
First
building bought
The
National Trust purchases Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex for £10 (about
£600 in today's money).
1899
First
nature reserve
The Trust
acquires its first nature reserve with the purchase of two acres of Wicken Fen,
near Cambridge.
1900–1923
Appeals and
acts
1900
Kanturk
Castle
The Trust’s
commitment to great buildings is confirmed with the gift of Kanturk Castle, in
what will become the Republic of Ireland. Kanturk now belongs to An Taisce: The
National Trust for Ireland.
1902
Appeal
launched to buy Brandelhow
The Trust launches
a nationwide campaign to raise funds for the purchase of Brandelhow on
Derwentwater. Many contribute to the appeal, including the daughter of Queen
Victoria, Princess Louise, and factory workers in the Midlands.
1907
The
National Trust Act
The
National Trust Act of 1907 is drafted by Sir Robert Hunter, one of the Trust's
co-founders, to give the Trust the status of a statutory corporation. In the
same year, the Trust acquires Barrington Court, a 16th-century country house in
Somerset.
1912
Blakeney
Point
Blakeney
Point in Norfolk is acquired for its value as a coastal nature reserve. It's a
great place to spot wildlife, including terns and seals.
1923
Great
Gable
Great
Gable, a peak in the Lake District, is presented to the National Trust by the
Fell and Rock Climbing Club as a memorial to members who were killed in the
Great War.
In the same
year, historian GM Trevelyan uses his friendship with the Prime Minister,
Stanley Baldwin, and the author John Buchan, to gain support and boost falling
membership numbers.
1925–1948
Support and
collaboration
1925
The press
supports our cause
Under the
chairmanship of critic and journalist John Bailey, the Trust receives more
sympathetic coverage from the press than at any time in its history, before or
since. On 25 October, a letter in The Times, appealing for funds for Ashridge
in Hertfordshire, is signed by Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Herbert
Asquith.
1927
Farmland
around Stonehenge is bought
Over 1,400
acres of farmland around Stonehenge is bought following a national appeal.
1929
Beatrix
Potter lends her support
Beatrix
Potter uses the income from her children's books to support the Trust's work in
the Lake District. As a result, Monk Coniston Estate, near Coniston Water, is
acquired.
1931
The
National Trust for Scotland is established
The
National Trust for Scotland has similar statutory powers to the National Trust,
but with an entirely independent constitution.
1934
Village
first
West
Wycombe becomes the first village to come under National Trust protection.
1937
The
National Trust Act
The Marquis
of Lothian proposes that the National Trust should be able to accept the gift
of country houses, with endowments in land or capital, which would be free of
tax. These new powers are provided in the National Trust Act of 1937.
1939
Quarry Bank
Mill
Following
the gift of Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate in Cheshire, the Trust gets
involved with sites of major importance for their industrial archaeology.
In the same
year, Lord Lothian bequeaths the Trust his Jacobean house, Blickling in
Norfolk.
1945
50th
birthday
The Trust
celebrates its 50th year. By this point, it manages 112,000 acres of land and
93 historic buildings, as well as having 7,850 members.
1946
The
National Land Fund is established
The
National Land Fund is established by Dr Hugh Dalton, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, as a memorial to those killed in the Second World War. Many great
country houses are subsequently transferred to the National Trust with
assistance from this fund, beginning with Cotehele in Cornwall.
1948
Post-war
collaboration
The
National Trust joins forces with the Royal Horticultural Society to launch the
Gardens Scheme, which is designed to encourage and fund the acquisition of
outstanding gardens.
In the same
year, Hidcote in Gloucestershire is gifted to the Trust by Major Lawrence
Johnston.
1965–1995
Souvenirs
and celebrations
1965
Launch of
the Neptune Campaign
The Neptune
Campaign is launched with the aim of acquiring unspoilt coastline that might be
at risk. In 2022, the Trust cares for over 775 miles of coast all around the
UK.
1968
The Benson
Report
The Benson
Report recommends that much of the Trust's administration be devolved to
regions. Following this and other recommendations, the Trust experiences a
decade of unprecedented growth.
1970
75th
anniversary
As the
Trust celebrates its 75th year, membership to the charity stands at more than
226,000. The Trust begins to sell items such as tea towels, leading to the
formation of National Trust Enterprises.
1975
A
membership milestone
The
National Trust reaches 500,000 members.
1981
The big one
million
Another
milestone is reached as members total one million.
1986
Sutton
House is more than a home
The Trust
reverses a decision to turn Sutton House, owned since 1936, into flats and
devote it to cultural and educational uses for the benefit of the community in
Hackney.
1990
Two million
members
The
National Trust hits the two million members mark; that's more than the combined
membership of all the political parties.
Meanwhile,
the Snowdonia Appeal is launched by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The Lake District
Appeal, begun three years earlier, reaches its target of £2 million.
1994
Moving with
the times
The Trust
acquires 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, a modern-movement house designed by Erno
Goldfinger in 1938.
1995
Centenary
celebrations
The Trust
celebrates its centenary with a service in St Paul's Cathedral. In its first
100 years, the National Trust became the guardian of 580,000 acres of
countryside in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 545 miles of coastline; 230
historic houses and 130 important gardens.
2000–2009
Major
reviews and milestones
2000
The start
of something new
The
National Trust embarks on another major structural review, with the aim of
working more effectively with other conservation bodies and improving internal
processes.
2001
Farming
Forward
The Farming
Forward initiative is launched, at the time of the foot and mouth crisis,
reaffirming the Trust's commitment to preserving both natural beauty and a
viable economy in rural areas.
2002
Money well
spent
The
Victorian country house Tyntesfield, near Bristol, is put up for sale. Within
100 days, the Trust raises £3 million from over 50,000 individual donors and
secures a grant of £17.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
2003
Arts and
Crafts
The
National Trust purchases Red House in Bexleyheath. The house was once owned by
the Arts and Crafts designer William Morris, who was a friend and supporter of
Octavia Hill.
2005
A new
home
The Trust
moves to a new central office in Heelis, Swindon, bringing staff from four
central offices under one roof for the first time. A small office in London
remains.
2007
Membership
keeps on growing
Membership
figures hit the 3.5 million mark.
2008
Volunteering
milestone
The total
number of volunteers working for the Trust, donating what Octavia Hill called
gifts of time, exceeds 50,000.
2009
Seaton
Delaval saved for the nation
Following a
massive appeal that raises over £3 million from thousands of people, charitable
trusts and companies across the country, Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland
is saved for the nation.
2011–2019
Restoration
and new leadership
2011
Another
membership milestone
National
Trust membership reaches four million.
2012
Leasing
Tredegar House
The Trust
takes over the care of Tredegar House, the 17th-century ancestral home of the
Morgan family, and embarks on a series of extensive projects to conserve the
building.
2015
A
devastating fire
On 29
April, a fire, caused by an electrical fault, rips through Clandon Park in
Surrey. The Trust manages to save over 400 items from the collection and,
following a 14-month salvage operation, is now working on rebuilding the house.
10-year
strategy launched
The Trust
launches a 10-year strategy, ‘Playing our Part’, to meet the needs of the 21st
century. It includes a pledge to reduce energy use by 15% and source 50% of
energy from renewables by 2020/21.
2017
White
Cliffs saved
Thanks to
generous donations, £1 million is raised, allowing the Trust to secure 700,000
square metres of land just behind the White Cliffs of Dover, thus preserving
their future.
A gigantic
leap
The Trust
reaches another milestone with membership jumping from four million to five
million in just six years.
2018
A new
Director General
Hilary
McGrady takes over from Dame Helen Ghosh as Director-General of the National
Trust.
2020–present
Covid-19
and moving forward
2020
Anniversary
celebrations
The Trust
plans to celebrate its 125th anniversary with a Buckingham Palace Garden Party
and events across the nations. But the coronavirus pandemic arrives and
instead, for the first time in its history, the Trust is forced to close.
2021–22
Welcoming
visitors once again
The Trust
learns to respond to fast-changing local conditions and is forced to make
savings. But once fully reopened, Trust membership grows quickly. People have
missed their places.
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