What is the National Trust and what does it do

Asks Meredrew

A. The National Trust is a registered charity that was founded in 1895 to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the nation to enjoy. It protects and opens to the public historic houses, gardens, industrial monuments & mills and looks after forests, woods, fens, farmland, moorland, nature reserves, coastlines and old villages.

Q. Who started the Trust

A. The Trust was started by Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley - three Victorian philanthropists - who were afraid that the rapid and uncontrolled growth of industrialisation would eradicate important land, coastline and buildings throughout the UK.

Q. How much land does the National Trust own

A. It owns more than 248,000 hectares (612,000 acres) of countryside and 600 miles of coastline. It also owns over 200 buildings and gardens, which are held in perpetuity - which means that their future protection is secured. The Trust has unique statutory power to declare land inalienable - which means that it cannot be sold, mortgaged or developed against the Trust's wishes without an Act of Parliament being passed.

Q. Is the Trust owned by the Government then

A. No, it is an independent organisation that is protected by the law.

Q. How does it make enough money to maintain all the land and buildings in its control

A. It depends on membership subscription to keep it going - it currently has 2.7 million members and other supporters that donate money through legacies and gifts. It also depends on the work of over 38,000 volunteers (besides employing 4,00 full time staff).

Membership subscriptions are the Trust's single largest source of income and amounted to 60 million in 1999/2000. In the same year the Trust spent 148.5 million on protecting and caring for places to visit - so it still cannot meet most of the cost obligations of its property, with four in every five of its historic houses running at a loss. It is constantly looking for more financial support.

Its income is supplemented by National Trust Enterprises, the Trust's trading company that donates all of its profits back to the charity.

National Trust Enterprises runs shops on most of its properties offering a range of merchandise, usually exclusive to the Trust in addition to 25 other shops in busy commercial centres e.g. in the Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent. It also operates 140+ restaurants and tearooms in many of its historical venues.

Profit generated by National Trust Enterprises amounted to 11.7 million during 1999-2000.

Q. Is it possible to stay in any National Trust properties

A. The Trust rents out 250 of its holiday cottages in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to supplement its income and these are not your run-of-the-mill holiday chalets but rather historical buildings e.g. 15th Century converted stables, former lighthouses and old manor houses.

The Trust also operates a Short Break Collection (operated by Super Break) of holidays in 200 hotels and on cruises throughout the country - a financial contribution is made to the Trust's conservation work for every holiday booked.

You can find out more about any National Trust holiday on the National Trust website at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Q. Does the National Trust work towards conserving the environment at the same time as conserving its buildings and land

A. The National Trust has an environmental policy that advocates positive environmental solutions wherever possible and petitions to the government and the public to follow suit.

For example it conserves natural wildlife communities on all of its land as well as existing geological features, and supports rural economies so that sustainable agricultural development can exist and be nurtured. Its gardens and parks are also developed in accordance with long-term conservation plans.

Q. How would I find out about buildings and gardens in my area that are owned by the Trust and open to the public

A. Check out the Places to Visit option on its website and it will either list all places open to the public in alphabetical order or by county - including its opening times and facilities. If you are unfamiliar with the Internet, this site has a great help section that explains all about links and how to use its site, with a comprehensive site map and advanced search facility.

In addition, the Trust has adapted its site for the visually impaired. In the bottom right hand corner of every page on the National Trust website there is a dark green bar, with a white button and a half shaded eye icon. When clicked, it enlarges the size of the text and removes the colour from the page making it easier to read.

There are lots of other resources made available by the National Trust, including guides and walking books.

The National Trust can be contacted at:

36 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AS

Telephone: 020 7222 9251

Fax: 020 7222 5097

Email: [email protected]

Internet: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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By Karen Anderson