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What are Trusted Source articles?

The dovecote in the walled garden at Felbrigg, shown with the lily pond in the foreground.
The Dovecote in the Walled Garden at Felbrigg | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Created in partnership with the University of Oxford, Trusted Source is a collection of short and easy-to-understand articles about history, culture and the natural environment. Written by academics and National Trust experts, these articles explore all manner of subjects related to the special places and collections in our care. Find out more about the partnership and explore some of the topics in the collection.

Helping you understand the big ideas behind special places

Between 2016 and 2018 the National Trust and the University of Oxford teamed up to create Trusted Source, an online knowledge bank of concise and accessible articles about history, culture and the natural environment, written by members of the academic community and our own specialists.

The articles explore a range of subjects from different perspectives, giving readers new insights into National Trust places and collections.

What are Knowledge Transfer Partnerships?

Trusted Source was a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a programme part-funded by the government which helps to spread knowledge from the academic world more widely to public bodies and the business sector.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are most often used in the science and technology industries and Trusted Source was the first project of its kind awarded to the Humanities Division at Oxford and the National Trust. The project was supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, InnovateUK and the National Trust.

Oil painting, Love among the ruins, by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898), 1894, against the oak panelling of the Great Parlour at Wightwick Manor
Oil painting, Love among the ruins, by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones at Wightwick Manor, West Midlands | © National Trust Images/Paul Raeside

Explore some Trusted Source articles

Who were the Pre-Raphaelites?
Find out all about the Pre-Raphaelite artists and what inspired them to create a cutting-edge movement. Discover more about the people who shared interests in art, poems and literature.About the Pre-Raphaelites
What was The Armistice?
Read about the events leading up to the Armistice, which was the ceasefire that ended the hostilities of the First World War in November 1918.More about the Armistice
What is Gothic Revival?
Discover how it became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries to style literature, architecture, art, music and more after the features of the late medieval Gothic period.More about Gothic Revival
What is the picturesque?
Find out about the picturesque aesthetic style and how it became a fashionable choice for wealthy estates in the 18th century. Learn about the people who influenced the movement.More about the picturesque
What is a Dovecote?
Explore the history of Dovecotes, which were built by wealthy and aristocratic families from the Norman period onwards to keep doves for food, feathers and as status symbols.More about Dovecotes
Volunteer examining a book as part of conservation work in the library at Greyfriars' House and Garden, Worcestershire

Research at the National Trust

We're an Independent Research Organisation recognised by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Our research takes place in many forms – from the PhDs we sponsor and practical testing of new conservation techniques to the hundreds of research projects we collaborate in or host at places in our care each year.

Our partners

The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities

A hub for multi-disciplinary research projects and research engagement at the University of Oxford

Visit website 

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