So said Octavia Hill, one of the the three founders of the National Trust [officially registered in 1895] I have learned much more about this lady since I went to the talk on Thursday, given by her fellow philanthropist, Robert Hunter
Hunter was the solicitor for the Commons Preservation Society, and enabled he drafting of laws to ensure restrictions on developing open spaces. The three were also significant in maintaining "The Green Belt" around London.
OH's family moved to London when she was a child, and from her early teens she helped her mother in various activities [Mrs H was totally committed to social reform and care of the poor] Liz took me to the Red Cross Gardens back in 1910, another of OH's projects.
OH and her two friends realised that many of those living in the cities had no access to green spaces, and the beautiful countryside. The National Trust [full name NT for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty] began by purchasing open spaces and making them available.
Some of her views would be considered controversial today - she was against free school meals and a state pension for all, believing that private enterprise and charity could solve social inequality. But she did believe that enjoyment of creation, the beauty of natural things, could make an immeasurable difference to people's health and wellbeing.
I learned a lot more about the early days of the NT and all that OH achieved. She deserves her plaque in Westminster Abbey
Do you belong to the National Trust?
Do you think you get value for money?
How can we ensure continued access to green spaces and beautiful places for future generations?
One of the people in the audience said she had just come back from a transatlantic holiday and was surprised how many beaches and forests in the USA and Canada were privately owned and not open to the public at all.
Many years ago we used the money given to us as wedding presents to buy joint life membership to the National Trust. We had fun working out how much each visit had cost us by dividing the vast initial sum by the number of places we had seen. We soon lost count as over the years we have been to so many different places and now the cost per visit must be very small. Nicky K
ReplyDeleteThat was a really creative use of your wedding gifts. When the children were small, we had annual family membership - but let it lapse when we moved to Leicester (utterly bereft of NT properties in the 90s) We were given a years joint membership as a gift from the church when we left Leics and moved to Dorset (which is teeming with NT Places) and we've renewed it each year. We feel that we get our money's worth!
DeleteMy use of a mobility scooter means that I don’t find the National Trust good value for money. They used to charge separately for access to their country houses in addition to the grounds which was fair enough - they (understandably) don’t want me in their houses so I didn’t pay for access. A few years ago they started to charge a higher price for access to the associated parks and gardens with access to the house included. I am therefore paying to access to a facility in which I’m not welcome. If they make something extra available for disabled people (eg Croome Park there are heavy duty mobility scooters for better access to the park) they ask for an extra “donation” of £5.
ReplyDeleteThis somehow seems a little unfair. I can appreciate that historical, listed properties with narrow doorways and flights of stairs cannot easily be made accessible for wider mobility scooters and wheelchairs. But maybe they should consider a concessionary rate for those who are restricted to "gardens only". I wish I'd known that on Thursday - I'd have raised it in the Q&A session.
DeleteMine is not a large mobility scooter! They don't allow them at all!
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DeleteWe have been NTS members for 45 years but seldom bet value for money nowadays. The other thing that drives me crazy is the constant begging letters that come from them. We have a seniors membership now and I agree that lack of public transport is an issue for everyone who doesn’t have their own transport. It’s a huge issue in general and one on which I constantly campaign. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThe begging letters go straight into my recycling. And lack of public transport is a HUGE issue. Please keep on campaigning C!
DeleteObviously, not a member of the NT, but, I do enjoy reading about your visits to various places. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Bless - our little island has some lovely places
DeleteWe've been NT members for many years now, but have over the past year or two become increasingly irritated and annoyed by the seemingly "woke" makeover of much of the Trust activities in relation to their properties. More locally, we have a major disagreement with the Trust behaviour in relation to rewilding at their Wallington site. They are taking long-farmed areas of the estate out of productive agriculture and letting it revert to a far less desirable state, as well as destroying many livelihoods in the process.
ReplyDeleteThese issued were raised in the Q&A on Thursday (altho the speaker was not an NT staff member so couldn't really address them) Monty Don spoke about rewilding recently after the Chelsea Show (and was unfairly criticised imho, as his arguments seemed to me to be very carefully thought out)
DeleteI let my membership for Historic Scotland lapse during lockdowns. Didn't seem much point in keeping it going. Same with My art pass, though might join up with that again. The new Grayson Perry exhibition on in Edinburgh is £20 entry fee. That's not accessible art for all, despite probably being worth every penny. We all went to our local Flight Museum yesterday and it cost £50 entry fee for 3 adults and one child. The other child got in free for being three!I won't tell you how much two ice lollies cost!It's a shame that rising costs prohibit family days out especially during the school holidays.
ReplyDeleteLiz says that many family days out to a specific location (whether National Trust, Sealife, Animal Sanctuaries or whatever) can often cost £100 for a family of four, once you add up petrol, parking,entry, and a snack. Sadly beyond the reach of so many children and their accompanying adults.
DeleteI am so grateful for my nearby NT property, which gives me space to walk amongst the trees, gaze at the boats out at sea, and provides a very nice tea!
ReplyDeleteYes, you are blessed with some lovely NT spots in Cornwall (I wonder how much the NT were paid for being used as Poldark film locations?)
DeleteYears ago I belonged to the NT , when we were still working and money was less tight, but now we have more time there's less spare cash! Never mind, that's life and we are very fortunate where we live in rural Wales, fresh air, space and beauty in abundance.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Wales is so beautiful! You are fortunate [as we are] to be in a rural area where we have nature 'on our doorstep' freely available to enjoy
DeleteWe use our NT passes regularly, being in Staffordshire have access to quite a few places and have always found it useful for parking on Devon and Cornwall beaches which are owned by the NT. I also keep a lookout for 2 4 1 passes on FB and local paper which give us access to Trentham Gardens, Birmingham Botanical Gardens etc.
ReplyDelete2-4-1 vouchers etc are useful [I dont think we have ever paid full price for the Sealife centres with the grandchildren] And yes, parking for some Norfolk beaches is free if you are in the NT.
DeleteSo interesting!
ReplyDeleteYesterday was Beatrix Potter's birthday and we all know her legacy in The Lake District!
Hugs!
I didnt realise it was BPs birthday. She was so generous in her legacy to the Lake District. We took the girls to Hilltop Farm many years ago now.
DeleteLike Nicky, we are lifetime N.T. members.
ReplyDeleteMy parents were members, as was I in my teens and early twenties.
We took out ordinary membership in our first year of marriage, and when that expired, decided that it was definitely worth paying out for a 'lifetime' of visits!
We don't have a vast number of properties close to us, but there are lots within a sixty minute drive, so we definitely get good value from our membership.
Our son and daughter in law have taken out membership too, so it's a family thing.
Their begging letters go straight into my recycling bin though! X
I suspect that I'm rather too old to consider life membership now! We'd both need to be still going out to NT properties in our late 80s in order to save any money
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe all need those corners. I have found a tree lined car park where I spend time sitting and knitting and it has worked wonders for my mental health - just a car park in a green space. Making these spaces accessible is tough these days, especially with the cost of upkeep rising.
Finding a special space is a good thing. Maintaining one is hard work
DeleteThe NT sounds wonderful. I'd definitely join if I lived on your lovely isle!
ReplyDeleteFor all it's problems, the NT is a pretty good organisation.
DeleteWe joined NT when the children were small and we made regular drives all the was to Cornwall to visit my parents. As well as spending the day at Trelissick etc It was wonderful to be able to schedule a break st an NT place for cleans loos and a quick run around, as well as being able to go on dog-poo free walks locally back home (this was in 1980s when nobody ever cleaned up after their dogs).
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