Help our Heritage
It may seem, when children live in poverty, or in danger in war-torn regions, that concern for our ancient buildings and landscape is a luxury. But both buildings and the world about us are vital to our wellbeing, and, in the case of the landscape, important to our long-term survival.
Charities working in these areas include the National Trust, which, with more than four million members, is the largest. Founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, with the aim of saving the nation’s heritage and open spaces, it acquired its first house, Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex, the following year. The pace of conservation hotted up after the Second World War, thanks to diarist James Lees-Milne, who stepped in when great houses were being destroyed weekly.
Although best known for its houses, the Trust also looks after gardens, mills, forests, moorland, islands, castles, nature reserves, villages and even pubs. It owns more than 618,000 acres of land, 742 miles of coastline, and there are several World Heritage Sites on National Trust land, including the Giant’s Causeway, the Dorset and East Devon Coast, and Hadrian’s Wall. Forty-three per cent of rainwater in England and Wales drains through Trust places and spaces, and Trust gardens run 32 Plant Heritage National Plant Collections. Recent initiatives include a Plant Conservation Centre in east Devon, which propagates rare plants from Trust gardens. In donating to the Trust, you’re doing more than supporting old buildings.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England wants to preserve our landscape by stopping eyesore developments. A spokesman says: ‘We recognise that homes are needed, but we believe that derelict sites in towns and cities should be improved and developed rather than green land grabbed.’
The Country Houses Foundation is a charitable grant-giving body that aims to preserve buildings of historic or architectural significance, together with their gardens and grounds, for the public benefit. Grants range from £50,000 to £250,000, and the buildings in the main need to be listed or scheduled, and gardens need to be on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. Offering similar support is the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). Its terms, however, are more restrictive, as it only provides assistance to organisations with charitable status. The fund offers advice and grants or low-interest working capital loans for projects undertaken by building preservation trusts. To support this work, you can become a friend of the AHF for a donation of as little as £10.
The National Churches Trust has helped virtually every church named in Simon Jenkins’s book, England’s Thousand Best Churches. It was set up after the war as the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, when churches were falling apart as a result of the Depression and war-time bombing. It funds fabric repairs, and also finances community aspects, to widen the use of churches, such as installing loos, kitchens, heating and disabled access. Since 1953, the Trust has given 12,000 grants or loans, about £85m at today’s prices. Funding is only available for buildings open for worship, which includes other denominations as well as Anglican churches. ‘It can be hard to raise funds nationally,’ says Trust spokesman Eddie Tulasiewicz. ‘It’s much easier when working locally with people, who value their churches greatly.’
A recent poll to mark the Trust’s 60th birthday revealed that a surprising number of people had favourite churches. Baroness Warsi, for instance, nominated Dewsbury Minster, Giles Coren went for St Bride’s Fleet Street, while Mary Beard chose Heath Chapel in Shropshire. ‘Even in today’s secular world, churches still have a great resonance,’ says Tulasiewicz. ‘We have an amazing heritage in the UK.’
Charities working in these areas include the National Trust, which, with more than four million members, is the largest. Founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, with the aim of saving the nation’s heritage and open spaces, it acquired its first house, Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex, the following year. The pace of conservation hotted up after the Second World War, thanks to diarist James Lees-Milne, who stepped in when great houses were being destroyed weekly.
Although best known for its houses, the Trust also looks after gardens, mills, forests, moorland, islands, castles, nature reserves, villages and even pubs. It owns more than 618,000 acres of land, 742 miles of coastline, and there are several World Heritage Sites on National Trust land, including the Giant’s Causeway, the Dorset and East Devon Coast, and Hadrian’s Wall. Forty-three per cent of rainwater in England and Wales drains through Trust places and spaces, and Trust gardens run 32 Plant Heritage National Plant Collections. Recent initiatives include a Plant Conservation Centre in east Devon, which propagates rare plants from Trust gardens. In donating to the Trust, you’re doing more than supporting old buildings.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England wants to preserve our landscape by stopping eyesore developments. A spokesman says: ‘We recognise that homes are needed, but we believe that derelict sites in towns and cities should be improved and developed rather than green land grabbed.’
The Country Houses Foundation is a charitable grant-giving body that aims to preserve buildings of historic or architectural significance, together with their gardens and grounds, for the public benefit. Grants range from £50,000 to £250,000, and the buildings in the main need to be listed or scheduled, and gardens need to be on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. Offering similar support is the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). Its terms, however, are more restrictive, as it only provides assistance to organisations with charitable status. The fund offers advice and grants or low-interest working capital loans for projects undertaken by building preservation trusts. To support this work, you can become a friend of the AHF for a donation of as little as £10.
The National Churches Trust has helped virtually every church named in Simon Jenkins’s book, England’s Thousand Best Churches. It was set up after the war as the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, when churches were falling apart as a result of the Depression and war-time bombing. It funds fabric repairs, and also finances community aspects, to widen the use of churches, such as installing loos, kitchens, heating and disabled access. Since 1953, the Trust has given 12,000 grants or loans, about £85m at today’s prices. Funding is only available for buildings open for worship, which includes other denominations as well as Anglican churches. ‘It can be hard to raise funds nationally,’ says Trust spokesman Eddie Tulasiewicz. ‘It’s much easier when working locally with people, who value their churches greatly.’
A recent poll to mark the Trust’s 60th birthday revealed that a surprising number of people had favourite churches. Baroness Warsi, for instance, nominated Dewsbury Minster, Giles Coren went for St Bride’s Fleet Street, while Mary Beard chose Heath Chapel in Shropshire. ‘Even in today’s secular world, churches still have a great resonance,’ says Tulasiewicz. ‘We have an amazing heritage in the UK.’
Address book
- Architectural Heritage Fund 020-7925 0199, www.ahfund.org.uk
- Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) 020-7981 2800, www.cpre.org.uk
- Country Houses Foundation 0845-402 4102, www.countryhousesfoundation.org.uk
- National Churches Trust 020-7600 6090, www.nationalchurchestrust.org National Trust 0844-800 1895, www.nationaltrust.org.uk