The nation’s heritage in safe hands

Aug 18 2007 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

A century ago, three philanthropists began one of Britain’s most influential movements. Laura Davis reports on the National Trust

THEIR clothes may be ragged and their minds lacking in sophisticated thought, but perhaps the urban poor would benefit from sharing the splendour of the countryside with the landed gentry.

Such was the philosophy of philanthropic trio Octavia Hill, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley and Sir Robert Hunter at the end of the 19th century.

And so they set about purchasing a tumbledown thatched cottage in Sussex for a single £10 note, and bought a patch of Welsh coastline.

In 1907, two things happened that would see the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes become an intrinsic part of British life.

The first was the acquisition of Barrington Court, the group’s first historic mansion. The second was Parliament passing the National Trust Act, requiring the National Trust to look after “inalienable properties in perpetuity”, meaning they cannot be sold, nor compulsorily purchased.

That was a century ago this month and the charity that Hill, Rawnsley and Hunter established has never been more popular. It has become the largest conservation organisation in Europe, with 3.5m members – the equivalent to the combined populations of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Sheffield.

Today it holds more than 600,000 acres of landscape, more than 700 miles of coastline, and 300 country houses, sun-dappled parks and shady gardens.

“The levels of support we receive are truly inspiring,” says Fiona Reynolds, the Trust's Director-General.

“Our houses and gardens receive 13m visitors and there are a further 100m visits to our countryside properties each year, 3.5m people back the Trust as members, and 49,000 people volunteer with us,” she adds.

“The National Trust plays a unique role in British life and in the world conservation movement, but none of what we do would be possible without the extraordinary backing of our supporters – now we want to mobilise those supporters to get more deeply involved in our work.”

FIGURES show that more than 6% of the population of England, Wales and Northern Ireland are now National Trust members and it would take nearly 40 Wembley Stadiums to house them all.

In Merseyside, the National Trust looks after Speke Hall, the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Chambré Hardman’s photographic studios, Formby pinewoods and beach, as well as Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire and Tatton Park in Cheshire.

The organisation is now looking forward to its next 100 years by focusing on four key areas:

CLIMATE CHANGE: Reducing its own environmental footprint, promoting holidays at home, helping supporters with greener living initiatives, looking after the carbon stored in the soil and managing change on the UK's eroding coasts are all part of the Trust's strategy to help tackle global warming.

CULTURAL HERITAGE: To help the public to appreciate the importance that history and heritage have in shaping modern lives, the Trust is continuing to develop local links around their properties – involving visitors with conservation work, and lobbying the Government to value heritage.

THE NATURAL WORLD: As the largest owner of farmland in the UK and with 80% of us living within 20 miles of one of its properties, the Trust plans to focus on encouraging wildlife and habitats to flourish, and promoting access for the public to learn more about our natural world.

LOCAL AND SEASONAL FOOD: The Trust wants to develop ways to inspire people to eat and buy local and seasonal food, and to promote local food suppliers. This includes serving local produce at its own properties, such as Lancashire cheeses at Rufford Old Hall.

“Our long-term strategy is focused on engaging ever more deeply with our supporters; helping people identify with the Trust as a cause as much as a place to enjoy and visit,” Reynolds explains.

“We'll be reviving the vision and ambition of our founders, reminding people how much history and a connection with nature matter in today's crowded, changing world.”

FOR more information on the National Trust, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

lauradavis@dailypost.co.uk

* MEMBERS of the National Trust total more than the population of Wales and three times the combined membership of all political parties in the UK.

The Trust owns 26 sets of samurai armour, 19 Turner paintings, playwright George Bernard Shaw’s Oscar, the national collection of lawn-mowers, 57 meat strainers and a photograph album the size of a postage stamp.

Four out of five of the Trust’s historic houses open to the public operate at a loss.

Among the Trust’s properties are 166 fine houses, 19 castles, 47 industrial monuments, 49 churches and chapels, and 35 pubs and inns.

There are more National Trust members with the name Smith than there are residents of Margate.

1936: Acquired Rufford Old Hall, a Tudor half-timbered manor house initially built by Sir Thomas Hesketh in 1420. Only the Great Hall survives from the original design. The west wing, housing the family apartments has disappeared and the east wing has been extensively remodelled.

The Great Hall, with upright timber studding, quatrefoil decoration and mullioned windows, features an intricately carved wooden screen made from petrified oak.

House open 12-4pm, Mon-Wed, Sat, Sun; garden, shop and restaurant open various dates until December 16. Admission: House and garden £5.20, child £2.60, family £13; garden only £3.50, child £1.70. Tel: 01704 821254.

1944: Liverpool Corporation, the forerunner to Liverpool City Council, passed ownership of Speke Hall over to the National Trust. This half-timbered mansion has been home to several Liverpool families, the most recent being the Watts, who lived in it until the death of Adelaide Watt, who bequeathed it for a total 21 years to three trustees. As well as rich period interiors, it has a secret priest’s hole and a “thunderbox” toilet.

House open 1-5.30pm, Wed-Sun until October 28; 1-4.30pm, Sat-Sun, November 3-December 2; garden open all year round. Admission: £6.70, child £3.70, family £20.50; grounds and home farm only £4, child £1.90, family £11. Tel: 0151 427 7231.

1960: Acquired Tatton Hall, with running costs financed by Cheshire County Council. This estate includes a neo-classical mansion, 20 hectares of gardens, a Tudor old hall and a working farm set in a 400-hectare deer park. It also features a fine Victorian arboretum, including a fernery, orangery and Japanese gardens.

House open Tues-Sun, 1-5pm, until September 7; Tudor old hall open Sat and Sun, 1–5pm, until September 30; parks and gardens open various times almost all year round.

Call 01625 534400 for admission details.

1967: Took over responsibility for a stretch of coastline at Formby, including pinewoods, sand dunes and beach populated by two endangered species – the red squirrel and the natterjack toad.

Free access, all year round.

1995: Acquired 20 Forthlin Road, the childhood home of Paul McCartney, where he learned to play the guitar and where he lived when he first met John Lennon. This was where the Beatles composed and rehearsed some of their early songs. The house is authentically furnished as it would have been in the 1950s and early ’60s, and contains a display of family photographs taken by Paul’s brother Mike McCartney.

Visits are by minibus combined with a trip to Mendips, see below, leaving from Speke Hall. Open Wed-Sat until October 28. Book tours in advance from tel: 0870 900 0256.

2002: Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s widow, bought and donated the former Beatle’s boyhood home, Mendips, to the National Trust. Furnished with period items similar to those that Aunt Mimi, who owned the house, would have chosen, it features the tiny bedroom where Lennon first listened to skiffle records. Includes photographs, documents and other memorablia.

2003: After an extensive campaign by the Daily Post, the Trust purchased the Georgian terrace on Rodney Street, Liverpool, that was home to the celebrated photographer E Chambré Hardman. The elegant building also housed his studios and now includes an exhibition space devoted to a selection of Hardman's work.

Open Wed-Sun, 11am-4.15pm, until October 28. Admission: £4.95, child £1.40, family £12.60. Tel: 0151 709 6261.