The history of the National Trust

1800s

Foundation and firsts

1884 

The idea of the National Trust is born  

The idea of the National Trust is born when Octavia Hill, one of the founders, is asked to help preserve Sayes Court garden in South East London. 

1895 

The National Trust is founded   

Within a few weeks of the National Trust being registered under the Companies Act, it is given its first place: five acres of clifftop at Dinas Oleu in Wales. 

1896 

First building bought    

The National Trust purchases Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex for £10.

1899 

First nature reserve   

The Trust acquires its first nature reserve with the purchase of two acres of Wicken Fen, near Cambridge. 

1900–1923

Appeals and acts

1900 

Kanturk Castle 

The Trust’s commitment to great buildings is confirmed with the gift of Kanturk Castle, in what will become the Republic of Ireland. Kanturk now belongs to An Taisce: The National Trust for Ireland. 

1902 

Appeal launched to buy Brandelhow   

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

1907 

The National Trust Act  

The National Trust Act of 1907 is drafted by Sir Robert Hunter, one of the Trust's co-founders, to give the Trust the status of a statutory corporation. In the same year, the Trust acquires Barrington Court, a 16th-century country house in Somerset. 

1912 

Blakeney Point   

Blakeney Point in Norfolk is acquired for its value as a coastal nature reserve. It's a great place to spot wildlife, including terns and seals. 

1923 

Great Gable   

Great Gable, a peak in the Lake District, is presented to the National Trust by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club as a memorial to members who were killed in the Great War. 

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

1925–1948

Support and collaboration

1925 

The press supports our cause   

Under the chairmanship of critic and journalist John Bailey, the Trust receives more sympathetic coverage from the press than at any time in its history, before or since. On 25 October, a letter in The Times, appealing for funds for Ashridge in Hertfordshire, is signed by Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Herbert Asquith. 

1927  

Farmland around Stonehenge is bought   

Over 1,400 acres of farmland around Stonehenge is bought following a national appeal. 

1929 

Beatrix Potter lends her support   

Beatrix Potter uses the income from her children's books to support the Trust's work in the Lake District. As a result, Monk Coniston Estate, near Coniston Water, is acquired. 

1931 

The National Trust for Scotland is established 

The National Trust for Scotland has similar statutory powers to the National Trust, but with an entirely independent constitution. 

1934 

Village first  

West Wycombe becomes the first village to come under National Trust protection. 

1937 

The National Trust Act   

The Marquis of Lothian proposes that the National Trust should be able to accept the gift of country houses, with endowments in land or capital, which would be free of tax. These new powers are provided in the National Trust Act of 1937. 

1939 

Quarry Bank Mill   

Following the gift of Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate in Cheshire, the Trust gets involved with sites of major importance for their industrial archaeology. 

In the same year, Lord Lothian bequeaths the Trust his Jacobean house, Blickling in Norfolk. 

1945 

50th birthday 

The Trust celebrates its 50th year. By this point, it manages 112,000 acres of land and 93 historic buildings, as well as having 7,850 members. 

1946  

The National Land Fund is established   

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

1948 

Post-war collaboration   

The National Trust joins forces with the Royal Horticultural Society to launch the Gardens Scheme, which is designed to encourage and fund the acquisition of outstanding gardens. 

In the same year, Hidcote in Gloucestershire is gifted to the Trust by Major Lawrence Johnston. 

1965–1995

Souvenirs and celebrations

1965 

Launch of the Neptune Campaign   

The Neptune Campaign is launched with the aim of acquiring unspoilt coastline that might be at risk. In 2022, the Trust cares for over 775 miles of coast all around the UK. 

1968 

The Benson Report 

The Benson Report recommends that much of the Trust's administration be devolved to regions. Following this and other recommendations, the Trust experiences a decade of unprecedented growth. 

1970 

75th anniversary   

As the Trust celebrates its 75th year, membership to the charity stands at more than 226,000. The Trust begins to sell items such as tea towels, leading to the formation of National Trust Enterprises. 

1975 

A membership milestone   

The National Trust reaches 500,000 members. 

1981 

The big one million   

Another milestone is reached as members total one million. 

1986 

Sutton House is more than a home   

The Trust reverses a decision to turn Sutton House, 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  

The National Trust hits the two million members mark; that's more than the combined membership of all the political parties. 

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

1994 

Moving with the times   

The Trust acquires 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, a modern-movement house designed by Erno Goldfinger in 1938. 

1995 

Centenary celebrations  

The Trust celebrates its centenary with a service in St Paul's Cathedral. In its first 100 years, the National Trust 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 

The National Trust embarks on another 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, reaffirming the Trust's commitment to preserving both natural beauty and a viable economy in rural areas. 

2002 

Money well spent  

The Victorian country house Tyntesfield, near Bristol, is put up for sale. Within 100 days, the Trust raises £3 million from over 50,000 individual donors and secures a grant of £17.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. 

2003 

Arts and Crafts 

The National Trust purchases Red House in Bexleyheath. 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   

The Trust moves to a new central office in Heelis, Swindon, bringing 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 the Trust, donating what Octavia Hill called gifts of time, exceeds 50,000. 

2009 

Seaton Delaval saved for the nation  

Following a massive appeal that raises over £3 million from thousands of people, charitable trusts and companies across the country, Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland is saved for the nation.

2011–2019

Restoration and new leadership

2011 

Another membership milestone 

National Trust membership reaches four million. 

2012 

Leasing Tredegar House   

The Trust takes over the care of Tredegar House, the 17th-century ancestral home of the Morgan family, and embarks 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. The Trust manages to save over 400 items from the collection and, following a 14-month salvage operation, is now working on rebuilding the house. 

10-year strategy launched   

The Trust launches 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, allowing the Trust to secure 700,000 square metres of land just behind the White Cliffs of Dover, thus preserving their future. 

A gigantic leap   

The Trust reaches 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 Director-General of the National Trust.

2020–present

Covid-19 and moving forward

2020 

Anniversary celebrations   

The Trust plans to celebrate its 125th anniversary with a Buckingham Palace Garden Party and events across the nations. But the coronavirus pandemic arrives and instead, for the first time in its history, the Trust is forced to close.

2021–22

Welcoming visitors once again

The Trust learns to respond to fast-changing local conditions and is forced to make savings. But once fully reopened, Trust membership grows quickly. People have missed their places.