1884
The property that led to the idea of the National Trust was not a great house, or mountain, or stretch of coast. It was a garden, Sayes Court, created by the seventeenth century diarist John Evelyn, in the heart of Deptford, in east London.

Octavia Hill was approached by a descendent of Evelyn's, but found there was no organisation with the necessary legal powers for holding the property for permanent preservation. She turned for advice to Robert Hunter, who proposed the establishment of a land company for "the protection of the public interests in the open spaces of the country."

Octavia Hill wanted a short, expressive name for the new company, and suggested 'the Commons and Gardens Trust' prompting Hunter to pencil in the suggestion '? National Trust'. Nevertheless, it took ten years and a succession of disappointments and obstructions before the Trust was properly launched.

1896
The first building purchased by the Trust was Alfriston Clergy House in Sussex, bought for £10 in 1896. The Trust's commitment to great buildings was confirmed in 1900 when Robert Hunter negotiated the gift of Kanturk Castle, in what was to become the Republic of Ireland. No less ambitious was the acquisition in 1907 of Barrington Court, a sixteenth-century country house in Somerset.

1899
With the purchase of two acres of Wicken Fen, near Cambridge, the Trust acquired its first nature reserve. Since then the Trust has purchased over 40 additional areas of adjoining land, to ensure the continuing sustainability of the Fen.

1902
A brilliant propagandist, Rawnsley led the campaign to raise funds for the purchase of Brandelhow on Derwentwater, which received nation-wide support. The daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, and factory workers in the industrial Midlands contributed to the appeal. One donor wrote from Sheffield that "All my life I have longed to see the Lakes"; and added, with his contribution of 2s 6d, "I shall never see them now, but I should like to help keep them for others."

1907
Sir Robert Hunter had personally drafted over 40 successful Bills for the Post Office. He brought to the National Trust Act of 1907 this exceptional drafting experience, as well as unrivalled knowledge of legislation affecting ancient monuments.

1912
Blakeney Point, in Norfolk, was acquired for its value as a coastal nature reserve, and because it was already being used as an open-air laboratory for students from University College, London. Blakeney and many other coastal properties continue to welcome parties from schools and universities. Today the Trust welcomes over 600,000 school children to its properties each year.