To look after special places for ever, for everyone.



Such is the expressed core purpose of the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The largest preservation and conservation organization in the world, the British National Trust protects more than 600,000 acres of land and more than 700 miles of Britain’s coastline. Perhaps its best-known work, however, is the restoration and preservation of historic buildings and houses: 272 historic houses, 60 villages, two lighthouses, 17 dovecotes and 39 pubs are in the care of the National Trust.
The first building acquired by the National Trust on its founding in 1896 (for the astounding sum of £10) was the Alfriston Clergy House, a 14th-century thatched cottage on the Weald of East Sussex. One of the Trust’s most recent acquisitions is the Red House in Bexleyheath, London, home of William Morris. Designed by architect Philip Webb, Red House was the first and most important Arts & Crafts home built, in 1859.

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 NTPL/STEPHEN ROBSON

NTPL/STEPHEN ROBSON

The landscape garden of Sheffield Park was laid out in the 18th century by “Capability” Brown.[/caption]

The support of 3.4 million National Trust members and millions of visitors a year to NT properties from all over the world contributes to the care and maintenance of these invaluable historic lands and buildings. The cost of such an extraordinary charge, however, greatly exceeds the income of the Trust—80 percent of its historic properties run at a financial loss.
It is to aid in this significant historic work that the Royal Oak Foundation was founded in the United States in 1973. As the American membership affiliate of the British National Trust, the Royal Oak raises funds for the conservation of important landscapes and historic houses and gardens in Britain.
“There truly can never be enough done because the need is so great,” says Royal Oak Executive Director John Oddy. More than 10,000 American members and donors actively contribute to the work of the Royal Oak.
“We identify niche needs within the National Trust that will excite our membership and help the National Trust in a targeted way,” Oddy explains. “An example of that is our country house libraries campaign. Many of these great country houses have libraries that came with the house and haven’t been touched. Our grants have allowed the NT to go into these houses to inventory and catalog collections and plan conservation efforts for their long-term preservation. We have also helped to endow a full-time curator of libraries for the National Trust.”

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COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL TRUST

COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL TRUST

Twelfth-century Fountains Abbey near Ripon, North Yorkshire, is a World Heritage Site. Bottom: Majestic Kedleston Hall in Derby contains the most complete set of Robert Adam interiors in England.[/caption]

Similar campaigns have supported the NT Gardens Appeal, the Neptune Coastline Campaign and conservation work at specific properties, such as Kedleston, the great Robert Adam house in Derby, the 14th-century moated manor of Ightham Mote, the magnificent stately home of Knole and many others. By taking an active interest in the work of Royal Oak, members and donors enter into a partnership with the foundation to help preserve land, buildings and artifacts significant to our Anglo-American cultural heritage—and to make them accessible to everyone.
One of the significant benefits conferred by membership in the Royal Oak is free admission to the hundreds of National Trust properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as to the properties of the National Trust of Scotland. Besides receiving the Royal Oak’s own four-color 20-page quarterly newsletter, members receive all the benefits of National Trust membership, including the Trust’s outstanding quarterly magazine and the annual National Trust Handbook for members and visitors.
“We produce high quality newsletters, lecture programs, special events and travel opportunities for our members,” enthuses Oddy. “While the National Trust is the primary beneficiary of our organizational support, we are also trying to bridge that gap across the sea and provide activities to our members relating directly to our British heritage here in the United States.”

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NTPL/NADIA MACKENZIE

NTPL/NADIA MACKENZIE

Gardens, ancient monuments and stately homes are all part of the conservation and preservation mission of the National Trust supported by the Royal Oak Foundation.[/caption]

Royal Oak lecture programs addressing topics in art and collections, architecture, social history, garden and landscape design, conservation and preservation are held throughout the year in various cities across the country. Titles this year included “The Stables: The Unsung Glory of the English Country House,” “Hidden Portraits of the National Trust” and “Off the Beaten Path: Three Centuries of British Women Travelers.” Lectures are most often preceded or followed by receptions where members and friends have an opportunity to visit with speakers and with others who support our shared cultural heritage.
“We are also trying to present ourselves as a one-stop shop for Americans planning travel to Britain,” Oddy says. “Our Web site contains a lot of books and publications that it is not so easy to go into your local bookstore to get. Our members appreciate having access to these things through our newsletter and Web site.”
Other Royal Oak programs include a biennial competition in the architectural arts and scholarships in historic conservation for Americans to study in Britain. Among this year’s programs is a fellowship in landscape history for restoration work at Tyntesfield, an unusually complete 19th-century High Victorian Gothic house near Bristol with 530 acres of grounds and 50 acres of gardens.
Membership dues to the Royal Oak and donations made to the National Trust through the Royal Oak are tax deductible. As John Oddy emphasizes, “The work is never finished.”

To find out more, visit the Royal Oak Foundation website.