Our partnership with Innocastle

Corfe Castle, Dorset | © National Trust / Chris Lacey

We’re a proud partner in Innocastle, a European project dedicated to the preservation of castles, manors and estates across Europe. Find out more about how we're working with Innocastle to share experience and knowledge, which will help to inform the development of new and improved policies for heritage.

Knowledge partner

The National Trust is a knowledge partner of the Innocastle project. This means we’re drawing on our wide experience and expertise to provide relevant case studies and ideas.

It’s a great opportunity to showcase the National Trust approach at a European level. It also supports our work with International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) by reinforcing their strategic priorities.

The National Trust is particularly involved in the interregional learning activities. Furthermore, we’ll provide advice in areas such as marketing, programming and the involvement of local communities and volunteers.

Being part of Innocastle is an opportunity to learn and share with European colleagues.

A quote by Catherine LeonardINTO Secretary-General

View of Powis Castle, perched above its terraced gardens, Powys, Wales, in August. — Powis Castle perched above the terraced gardens in August | © National Trust Images/Joe Wainwright

Visiting our historic sites

In May 2019, the project partners visited Wales to learn from the National Trust’s approach to the management of historic country estates. Throughout 2020, we continued working virtually with our partners to develop and implement policy recommendations across the European regions. These plans were then rolled out in 2021, and in 2022, we worked with our partners in Belgium, Netherlands, Romania and Spain to finalise the project outcomes.

The study visits are an important part of the project’s interregional learning. They provide the opportunity for partners and stakeholders to gather ideas that can be applied in their own countries.

Everyone was energised by what they saw and the discussions which ensued. One of the things that particularly stood out was how the Trust balances high quality conservation work, public engagement and economic return.