The history of the National Trust

1800s

Foundation and firsts

1884 

The idea of the National Trust is born  

Octavia Hill, one of our founders, forms the idea for our creation when she's asked to help preserve Sayes Court garden in South East London. 

1895 

The charity is founded   

We're registered under the Companies Act and are given our first place to care for a few weeks later: five acres of clifftop at Dinas Oleu in Wales.

1896 

Our first building

We purchase Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex for £10.

1899 

Our first nature reserve   

We acquire our first nature reserve with the purchase of two acres of Wicken Fen, near Cambridge.

1900–1923

Appeals and acts

1900 

An Irish castle

We're gifted Kanturk Castle in County Cork, confirming our commitment to caring for great buildings. Kanturk now belongs to An Taisce: The National Trust for Ireland.

1902 

Appeal to buy Brandelhow   

We launch a nationwide campaign to raise funds for the purchase of Brandelhow on Derwentwater, in the Lake District. Many contribute to the appeal, including the daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, and factory workers in the Midlands. 

1907 

The National Trust Act of 1907

The National Trust Act of 1907 is drafted by Sir Robert Hunter, one of our co-founders, to give us the status of a statutory corporation (a body formed by the government to provide a public service). In the same year, we acquire Barrington Court, a 16th-century country house in Somerset. 

1912 

Blakeney Point   

We acquire Blakeney Point in Norfolk for its value as a coastal nature reserve. 

1923 

Great Gable   

Great Gable, a peak in the Lake District, is presented to us by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club as a memorial to members who were killed in the First World War (1914–1918).

In the same year, historian GM Trevelyan uses his friendship with the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, and the author John Buchan, to help boost falling membership numbers.

1925–1948

Support and collaboration

1925 

The press supports our cause   

Under the chairmanship of critic and journalist John Bailey, we receive more sympathetic coverage from the press than at any other time in our history. On 25 October, a letter in The Times, appealing for funds for Ashridge in Hertfordshire, is signed by current and former Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Herbert Asquith.

1927  

We buy farmland around Stonehenge   

We purchase more than 1,400 acres of farmland around Stonehenge following a national appeal. 

1929 

Beatrix Potter lends her support   

Beatrix Potter uses the income from her children's books to support our work in the Lake District. As a result, we're able to acquire Monk Coniston Estate, near Coniston Water.

1931 

National Trust for Scotland 

The National Trust for Scotland is established. It has similar statutory powers to us, but with an entirely independent constitution. It looks after historic and green spaces in Scotland.

1934 

Our first village

West Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, becomes the first village to come under our protection. 

1937 

The National Trust Act of 1937   

The 11th Marquess of Lothian, Philip Kerr, proposes that we should be able to accept the gift of country houses with endowments in land or capital that are free of tax. These new powers are outlined in the National Trust Act of 1937. 

1939 

Quarry Bank Mill   

We’re gifted Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate in Cheshire, beginning our involvement with sites that are important for their industrial archaeology. 

In the same year, our supporter Lord Lothian bequeaths us his Jacobean house, Blickling in Norfolk.

1945 

Our 50th birthday 

1945 marks our 50th anniversary, as well as the end of the Second World War. At this point, we manage 112,000 acres of land and 93 historic buildings. We also have 7,850 members. 

1946  

The National Land Fund   

The National Land Fund is established by Dr Hugh Dalton, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Its purpose is to secure culturally significant places for the nation as a memorial to those killed in the Second World War. Many great country houses are subsequently transferred to us with assistance from this fund, beginning with Cotehele in Cornwall.

1948 

Post-war collaboration   

We launch the Gardens Scheme in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society, which is designed to encourage and fund the acquisition of outstanding gardens. 

In the same year, Hidcote in Gloucestershire is gifted to us by Major Lawrence Johnston, a garden designer.

1965–1995

Souvenirs and celebrations

1965 

The Neptune Campaign   

We launch the Neptune Campaign, which aims to acquire and protect sections of coastline that could be at risk. By 2025, we care for more than 890 miles of coast all around the UK.

1968 

The Benson Report 

The Benson Report recommends that much of our administration should be devolved to regions. Following this and other recommendations, we experience a decade of unprecedented growth. 

1970 

Our 75th anniversary   

As we celebrate our 75th birthday, we have more than 226,000 members. We begin to sell various items like tea towels, leading to the formation of National Trust Enterprises. 

1975 

A membership milestone   

We reach 500,000 members.

1981 

The big one million   

We celebrate another huge milestone as we reach one million members.

1986 

Sutton House is more than a home   

We reverse a decision to turn Sutton House, which we’d 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  

We hit the two million members mark; that's more than the combined membership of all the political parties at the time. 

Meanwhile, the Snowdonia Appeal is launched by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The Lake District Appeal, which began three years earlier, reaches its target of £2 million. 

1994 

Moving with the times   

We acquire 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, an innovative, Modernist house designed by Erno Goldfinger in 1938. 

1995 

Centenary celebrations  

A service in St Paul's Cathedral is held to celebrate our 100th anniversary. In our first 100 years, we 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 

We embark on a 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. It shows we can support the farming industry while also helping preserve the natural beauty of rural areas. 

2002 

Money well spent  

The Victorian country house Tyntesfield, near Bristol, is put up for sale. Within 100 days, we raise £3 million from more than 50,000 individual donors and secure a grant of £17.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund to purchase it.

2003 

Arts and Crafts 

We purchase Red House in Bexleyheath, London. 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   

We move to a new central office in Swindon, called Heelis, which brings 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 us, donating what Octavia Hill called gifts of time, exceeds 50,000. 

2009 

Seaton Delaval saved for the nation  

Following a massive appeal that raises more than £3 million from thousands of people, charitable trusts and companies across the country, Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland comes under our care.

2011–2019

Restoration and new leadership

2011 

Another membership milestone 

Our membership reaches four million. 

2012 

Caring for Tredegar House   

We take over the care of Tredegar House, the 17th-century ancestral home of the Morgan family, and embark 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. We manage to save over 400 items from the collection and, following a 14-month salvage operation, are working on a new vision for the house and estate.

10-year strategy launched   

We launch 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 that allows us to secure 700,000 square metres of land just behind the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent, to protect their future.

A gigantic leap   

We reach 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 our Director-General.

2020–2022

Covid-19 and moving forward

2020 

Pandemic halts anniversary celebrations   

We plan to celebrate our 125th anniversary with a Buckingham Palace Garden Party and events across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But the Covid-19 pandemic arrives and instead, for the first time in our history, we are forced to close.

2020

Colonialism report published

We publish our interim report into ‘Connections between Colonialism and Properties now in the Care of the National Trust’.

2021–22

Welcoming visitors once again

We're forced to respond to fast-changing local conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic, in what was a challenging time for us and our visitors. But once fully reopened, membership levels grow quickly.

2022–2024

Adapting to change

2022

A garden in the sky

Castlefield Viaduct opens as an urban park in Manchester, initially on a temporary basis. We turn a formerly disused, 330m-long steel viaduct into an aerial garden, bringing nature into the city while making the garden free to access. This attracts huge public interest, which leads to the gardens being extended.

2023

People stand up for nature

The British public demands change to address a decline in nature. The People's Plan for Nature, a report drawn up by a citizens' assembly, calls for action from every part of society. We respond by calling for robust environmental governance across the UK, nature-friendly food production and more space for nature alongside people.

2023

Home of Gertrude Jekyll saved

We acquire Munstead Wood in Surrey. It was here that Jekyll wrote, established a nursery, bred plants and designed more than 400 gardens around the world. Work to allow future generations to visit the house and garden begins but fundraising is vital to support the property long term.

2023

Tree at Sycamore Gap felled

People are shocked when the much-loved tree at Sycamore Gap is illegally cut down. Yet, from this act grows the idea to gift 49 of the tree's saplings to good causes. We receive nearly 500 applications for a 'tree of hope'. The saplings are planted in public spaces, continuing the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree and connecting people with nature.

2025–present

A vision for the future

2025

A new strategy on our birthday

To mark our 130th birthday, we launch our new strategy, with three ambitious goals for 2050. These are: to restore nature – not just on National Trust land, but everywhere; to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history; and to inspire millions more people to care and take action.