National trusts are organizations set up to protect and preserve buildings, landscapes, monuments, and items that are considered to have special artistic, scientific, or historical value. These organizations are independent, and most follow the pattern of the first national trust in the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom.
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is an independent charity in the United Kingdom. It owns or protects various pieces of land and hundreds of country houses and gardens in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Many of its properties are open to the public.
The National Trust is not part of any government department. It is run by a council elected by its members and other conservation groups. Its chief sources of income are legacies, endowments, members’ subscriptions, and revenue from commercial activities. The trust is not funded directly by the government, but it is allowed certain tax benefits.
The National Trust is one of the oldest conservation bodies in the world. It was founded in 1895 by three English reformers, the social worker Octavia Hill, the solicitor (lawyer) Sir Robert Hunter, and the clergyman and writer Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley. In 1907, an Act of Parliament empowered the trust to declare its properties inalienable. This means that they can never be sold or mortgaged.
The National Trust for Scotland was founded in 1931. It is also an independent body. Its properties include Falkland Palace in Fife Region; the pass of Glencoe in Highland Region; the St. Kilda Islands in the Western Isles; and Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands.
In other countries.
Several other countries have organizations that are similar to the United Kingdom’s National Trust. In the United States, the National Trust for Historic Preservation owns and protects a number of important sites, including President James Madison’s estate in Virginia; the architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Illinois; and the Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island. The trust was set up in 1949.
Ireland’s national trust, called An Taisce (The Treasury), was set up in 1948. It administers land and properties for conservation, leisure, and scientific purposes. Its sites include part of the Burren, a nature reserve in County Clare; Boyne Navigation and Tow Path in County Meath; and Kanturk Castle in County Cork.
Each state in Australia has its own national trust. The trusts have no official powers, but their recommendations are forwarded to the government departments concerned with conservation, planning, and the environment. New South Wales has the oldest trust, founded in 1945. Its properties include Old Government House in Parramatta and the Norman Lindsay Gallery in the Blue Mountains.
National trusts similar to the United Kingdom’s have been established in a number of other countries throughout the world as well. These countries include Bermuda, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe.
In many other countries, the conservation of historic sites and properties is organized largely by government agencies. Examples are the Conservatoire du littoral (Coastal Protection Agency) in France and the National Heritage Board in Singapore.
