The Foundation is an independent charity (No. 205846). It was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in 1895, but was later re-established by a private Act of Parliament, the National Trust Act 1907. Subsequent Acts passed by Parliament between 1919 and 1971 amended and expanded the powers and functions of the Trust. The management of the trust was changed by the Charities (National Trust) Order 2005. [4] The foundation is supported by volunteers who numbered more than 53,000 people in 2020. [1] If you have a question about any of the National Trust services, find out how to contact us. Do you have a question about a new or existing holiday booking or do you just need more information? Our holiday team is at your disposal at holiday.enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk or 0344 800 2070. In the year ending February 2020, the Trust had 5.95 million members (2.78 million memberships). [1] Members are entitled to free admission to trust properties that are open to the public for a fee. [23] There is a separate organization called the Royal Oak Foundation for American Supporters. [28] Since its inception in 1895, the Trust has gradually expanded its art collection, primarily through the acquisition of entire properties.
From 1956 until the position was abolished in 2021, there was a curator of paintings and sculptures. [31] The first was St. John (Bobby) Gore, who was appointed “painting consultant” in 1956. He published catalogues of paintings at Upton House, Polesden Lacey, Buscot Park, Saltram House and Ascott House. His successor in 1986 was Alastair Laing, who supervised artwork in 120 homes and created the exhibition In Trust for the Nation, held at the National Gallery in 1995-96.[32] [31] From 2009 to 2021, curator David Taylor approved the inclusion of photographs from the Public Catalogue Foundation`s 12,567 oil paintings in the Public Catalogue Foundation`s searchable online archive of oil paintings, available since 2012. Artists represented in the Trust`s collections include Rembrandt (whose self-portrait with a white feather hood, now on display at Buckland Abbey, has recently been attributed to the artist), Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Angelica Kauffmann and Stanley Spencer. [33] In 1920, the Trust lost the last of its three founders, Rawnsley. The Trust`s 5,000 hectares of land in the Lake District have been expanded with donations in his memory, including part of the Great Wood on Derwentwater. In 1923, literary critic John Bailey became president of the trust.
Under his presidency, the Trust experienced an increase in funds, membership and properties. [3]: 50 In the 1920s, other archaeological sites were acquired, including Cissbury Ring in West Sussex, and the first buildings, including two medieval castles (Bodiam Castle in East Sussex and Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire), which Lord Curzon bequeathed to the Trust. [3]: 51-52 In 1925, the Trust launched a national appeal to purchase the Ashridge estate in Hertfordshire and managed to raise a record £80,000. [3]: 53 When Bailey died in 1931, the Times paid tribute to him: “The strong position now occupied by the National Trust is largely due to him, and it may never be known how many generous gifts of rural beauty and historical interest the nation owes directly or indirectly to his persuasive enthusiasm. [6] Heelis Kemble Drive Swindon SN2 2NA Tel: 0344 800 1895 Email: enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk Welcome and thank you for visiting our website. The National Trust (NT) was created to fulfil two fundamental tasks – law and welfare. Legal obligations are exercised by local committees (LLCs) and legal guardianships. The duty of well-being is fulfilled by the systems. We have a network of over 550 registered organizations and 628 LLCs at the district level. As one of the largest landowners in the UK, the Trust owns nearly 250,000 hectares (620,000 acres; 2,500 km2; 970 square miles) of land and 780 miles of coastline.
Its holdings include more than 500 historic houses, castles, archaeological and industrial monuments, gardens, parks and nature reserves. Most properties are open to the public for a fee (members have free admission), while open spaces are free for all. The Trust has an annual income of over £680 million, mainly from membership fees, donations and bequests, direct income from property, profits from its shops and restaurants and investments. It also receives grants from various organisations, including other charities, government departments, local authorities and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Funding for National Trust advocacy and legal litigation is supported by National Trust membership fees, general donations and foundation grants. The efforts of our staff are also supported by the generous pro bono support of dedicated private lawyers. In limited cases, where defence of interests alone is not enough, litigation may be the only alternative. In this case, the National Trust may decide to provide legal assistance as an amicus curiae or friend of the court.
As such, the National Trust files a legal brief with a court, which typically provides a broader legal understanding of a particular right of preservation or provides a national perspective for a court. In more limited situations, with the assistance of a pro bono lawyer, the National Trust can either file its own lawsuit or join an existing lawsuit as an additional party. Betsy Merritt is Assistant Legal Counsel at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where she has been responsible for the National Trust`s legal defense program for 25 years. Anne Nelson is Senior Associate General Counsel at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where her primary responsibility is to provide general legal services to the organization. Anne also supports the advocacy efforts of the National Trust. After World War II, the National Land Fund was established by the government as a “thank you for victory” with the aim of using money from the sale of surplus war supplies to acquire property in the national interest. The program also allowed historic homes and lands left to the government to pay estate tax to be transferred to the trust. The first open space acquired by the Trust under the land programme was farmland at Hartsop in the Lake District; the first country house was Cotehele in Cornwall. Later acquisitions include Hardwick Hall, Ickworth House, Penrhyn Castle and Sissinghurst Castle Garden.
[8]: 68–70 The Land Fund was replaced by the National Heritage Memorial Fund in 1980. If you have a question about ordering in our online shop or about any of our products, please contact our customer service on online.shop@nationaltrust.org.uk or 0300 123 2025. Do you have a question for one of our departments? Here you will find the contact details of our central teams, press, magazines, volunteers, recruitment and website. Registrars of Heelis Kemble Drive Swindon SN2 2NA Collections Email: collections.donation@nationaltrust.org.uk Prior to joining the National Trust, Anne was General Counsel at the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, where she provided legal advice to the non-profit organization and its subsidiaries, including working on two landmark federal tax credit transactions (including one with low-income tax credits), and work directly at the local level for the preservation of historic properties. In 2007, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the official abolition of the slave trade, the Trust published an article entitled `Addressing the Past` in its quarterly magazine, which examines aspects of the Trust`s “hidden history” and finds ways to “reinterpret some of its features and collections”. [13] Research conducted by the Trust in 2020 found that 93, or nearly a third, of its homes and gardens had links to colonialism and historical slavery: “These include the global slave trade, goods and products of forced labour, abolition and protest, and the East India Company.” [14] The report sparked controversy and the Charity Commission opened a legal compliance case at the Trust in September 2020 to review directors` decision-making. The Charity Commission concluded that there were no grounds for regulatory action against the Trust. [15] A group of members launched a campaign, Restore Trust, to discuss concerns about the charity`s future. [16] Heelis Kemble Drive Swindon SN2 2NA Tel: 01793 817400 E-mail (editorial): magazine@nationaltrust.org.uk E-mail (advertising): nationaltrust@redactive.co.uk E-mail (other requests): enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk Heelis Kemble Drive Swindon SN2 2NA Email: internet@nationaltrust.org.uk (not for membership applications) The National Trust Acts grant the Trust the sole legal authority to declare land inalienable.
