About the National Trust
As Europe’s biggest conservation charity, we look after nature, beauty and history for everyone to enjoy. We do it with the help of millions of members, volunteers, staff, donors, communities and partners. Without this, we couldn’t care for the miles of coastline, woodlands, countryside and the hundreds of historic buildings, gardens and precious collections we protect.
Deep-rooted beginnings
In 1895, our founders, Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley pledged to preserve historic and natural places. Their aim was not only to save important sites, but to open them up for everyone to enjoy.
They created the National Trust, and more than 125 years later, their mission is at the heart of everything we do.
We all want quiet. We all want beauty... We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.
A quote by Octavia Hill Co-founder of the National Trust
Who we are and what we stand for
Together we thrive
We all need nature; it’s a matter of survival. And we all need culture; it’s what humans do. It’s how we feel seen and connected. It tells the stories of who we are.
Together we care for the world around us
Together we restore nature and landscapes, give new life to old places and share beauty that gives joy to generations. We make spaces where people flourish. All this happens because millions of people have cared enough to join together. Now it’s your turn.
A shared inheritance
This mission isn’t ours alone. It’s open to everyone who cares about nature and culture. A way of joining hands with those who came before. And reaching forward to those who’ll follow.
A shared strength
When you join this movement you become part of something immense: a bond of trust that reaches across time and place. Embracing the traditions of different cultures. The stories of different histories. The ideas of a million minds. Alive. Open.
What we can do together, we could never do alone
Together we stand for the people who will walk these paths long after we’re gone. And speak up today on behalf of tomorrow. A living bridge between generations, to a future where people and nature thrive together.
Nature, beauty, history
With our staff, members, volunteers and supporters, we are the biggest conservation charity in Europe. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference.
Your support keeps nature, culture and heritage flourishing. You help to care for:
- More than 890 miles of coastline
- More than 250,000 hectares of land
- More than 500 historic houses, castles, parks, and gardens
- Nearly a million works of art
For everyone, for ever
Working with communities and partners across the nations, we collectively represent a cause that’s bigger than just ourselves or one property. It’s about caring for nature and culture everywhere.
Over the next decade, our cause will be delivered through the People & Nature Thriving strategy. We have three ambitious goals for 2050:
- to restore nature – not just on National Trust land, but everywhere;
- to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history;
- to inspire millions more people to care and take action.
People and nature thriving: Our strategy to 2035
Read about our strategy, which focuses on restoring nature, ending unequal access and inspiring more people.
Our founders
Read about our three founders – Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley – who set up the National Trust in 1895 to protect natural and historic places.
The history of the National Trust
Discover the history of the National Trust, from its foundation in the 19th century, through key projects, wartime and epidemics, to the modern day.
Our cause
We believe that nature, beauty and history are for everyone. That’s why we’re supporting wildlife, protecting historic sites and more. Find out about our work.
