Wallington has big ambitions. The team of staff, volunteers, tenants, partners and the local community are aiming high and setting out to achieve critical nature-renewal across this vast 5321 ha estate and beyond. We’re teaming up with our neighbours to make things bigger, better and more joined up so people and nature can thrive together. As the largest intact Estate owned by the National Trust (2% of our total land holding), the opportunity to make a real difference is one that cannot be ignored.
Wallington is a culturally rich landscape, shaped by its legacy as an agricultural estate. In many ways the setting of the Wallington Estate, with its amazing views, walks, castle, woodlands and lakes, was Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan’s greatest gift when he left the entire estate to the National Trust in 1941. He was a passionate advocate of the great outdoors and the right to roam. The plan has always been to share this passion, along with our knowledge for looking after nature, with visitors and supporters as well as connecting the house and its extraordinary collection with the wider estate.
Many iconic species such as red squirrel, bats, raptors, white clawed crayfish and now beavers call Wallington home, and conservation projects are underway to support and protect these species.
The estate is a jigsaw piece within the wider Northumberland landscape and we are working with others including Groundwork NE, Vincent Wildlife Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, neighbouring estates, Forestry England and our farmers to make an impact at scale. Our ambitious plans include:
Restoring a range of habityats from hedgerows and flower rich meadows, through to wetlands, peatlands and woods.
Bringing rivers back to life, helping to slow the flows of water, and alleviate flooding by adopting natural processes like tree planting and beavers!
Encourage the return of key species such as pine marten and encourage the spread of others such as wetland birds, bats, red squirrel, and the large heath butterfly. All achieved by restoring habitat connectivity and tackling the rise of non-native species.
Planting 1 million trees across Wallington by 2030 in 400 hectares of new woodlands and 50km of new hedgerows.
Developing community partnerships
Developing our new Wilder Wallington Project volunteer team to help us monitor and survey the Estate for birds, bats, plants, butterflies and more
This project is aiming to:
Ensure access, enjoyment and exploration of the Estate is easy with peace and tranquillity across a landscape that is rich in nature and history experienced by all
Help land management become more nature friendly and increase the climate change measures that are in place across the estate including creating new woodland, restoring wetlands, peatland restoration and protecting soils
Support tenants to incorporate nature recovery schemes in farm business plans
Successfully deliver nature recovery at a landscape scale through a nationally recognised transformational land management restoration programme
Help natural processes operate in restored habitats with healthy soils storing carbon and water
Make wildlife habitats bigger, better, and more joined up. Introduce key species and expand their ranges. Ensure habitats are well connected allowing species to move freely across the Estate and beyond to important biodiversity hotspots
The Wallington Estate is the largest intact estate in the National Trust. Since 2021, the Wilder Wallington team, with support from partners, tenants and the local community, has been working on a large-scale restoration project. Watch to discover more about the work and the story so far.
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Wilder Wallington is a long-term generational programme, which began in 2020, with support through two major government funded initiatives - DEFRA’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and Natural England’s Nature for Climate Change. This enabled river quality studies, habitat surveys, species conservation programmes and crucially the start of habitat creation in partnership with our tenant farmers, partners and the community. Shorter-term goals have been identified looking at what is achievable quickly, but a lot of this ambition will take time to achieve.
In 2025 we worked on:
Creating 133 hectares of new woodlands, planting 356,000 new trees
Enhancing existing woods and 27,000 metres of new hedgerows
Baseline Habitat Surveys
Monitoring of bird species to assess impact of nature restoration works
Drone Surveys
Hydrological monitoring of river and groundwater levels
Supporting the spread of pine marten working with Vincent Wildlife Trust
Identifying grant funding opportunities
Engaging tenants and other stakeholders in design processes
Restoration of 104ha of lowland heath and floodplain habitat
Improving access on public rights of way, including new signage and kissing gates
Creating opportunities for volunteers and community members to get involved.
We have also worked beyond our boundaries, engaging and developing partnerships with our neighbours and other local organisations to create a landscape scale vision across Northumberland for nature and people. Examples include:
Groundwork NE
Hepple Whitefield and other private landowners
Northumberland National Park
Wildlife Trust and Rivers Trusts
Forestry England
West End Women & Girls Centre and West End Refugee Services
Wilder Northumberland Network
Local communities
In 2023, the National Trust entered a partnership with Groundwork Northeast, Natural England, the Environment Agency, The Woodland Trust, Northumberland County Council, and Wallington’s neighbours Little Harle Farming Partnership and the Middleton North estate, to establish the Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change project. Find out what's been happening on the project.
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2026
Wallington Estate has made an application to the Forestry Commission to create a new woodland using the English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) funded by Government through the Nature for Climate Fund. If successful, the hope is to create a new woodland, open up walks and cycle trails to the public and help restore nature.
Find out more about: Elf Hills
The majority of this work is taking place further into the estate, however, when you visit Wallington over the coming months and years, you will be able to find out all about the projects underway during your visit to the main visitor areas. From displays in our Visitor Welcome building, to pop up stands in the courtyard, to family-friendly events. We will be heading out into the community to bring the details to you and there will be films and other content created for the website to keep you up to date, which will also play in our Visitor Welcome building. You can see crayfish and beaver sticks in visitor welcome and have the opportunity to go on beaver enclosure tours or beaver dusk safaris with Wild Intrigue.
Nature is depleting faster in the UK than almost anywhere else in the world. Donating to Adopt a Plot is a small way you can take a big step towards restoring nature across whole landscapes. From £7.50 a month, you can help renew a nature super site. These six sites, spread across the UK, have been specially selected for their potential to restore nature across whole landscapes. From woodlands and peatlands to rivers and mountains, whichever plot you choose, you’ll be helping to restore a place where nature can recover and thrive.
