The National Trust
THE NATIONAL TRUST
Many readers of Wenvoe What’s On will be members of the National Trust, one of the great institutions of the United Kingdom, or they will know something about it. The National Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter, and Hardwicke Rawnsley. These visionaries sought to combat the rapid industrialization and urbanization that threatened Britain’s green spaces and historic sites. The founders believed in protecting areas of natural beauty and historic interest for future generations, a principle that remains at the core of the Trust’s work today.
The National Trust owns almost 250,000 hectares of land, 780 miles of coast, more than 200 historic houses, 41 castles and chapels, 47 industrial monuments and mills, the sites of factories and mines, 9 lighthouses, 56 villages, 39 public houses, and 25 medieval barns. The historic houses and castles are particularly worth visiting, and luckily, we have one of them near Wenvoe, Dyffryn Gardens. It is a pleasant cross-country walk from Wenvoe, going up Burdons Hill and across the golf course on the public footpath to reach Dyffryn Gardens where you can visit the café on arrival for refreshments. Or you can arrive by car with a picnic to enjoy the delightful gardens. There is limited access to the house on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is also a shop and second-hand bookshop.
All National Trust properties offer the chance to explore, many are open all year round and give a good opportunity for exercise, including ever-popular dog walking! Many visitors like to arrive at a National Trust property mid-morning to enjoy a coffee before touring the house and gardens. These properties invariably have a good café or restaurant offering a selection of fine homemade foods for lunch, and all proceeds go towards restoring the buildings.
We recently went to visit the last castle to be built in England, a National Trust property called Castle Drago which is 16 miles west of Exeter. It was built between 1910 and 1930 for the owner of the Home and Colonial stores. He had it built as a family home for his wife and three sons, but you have guessed it, by the time it was built his sons had left home. It looks modern and although built a hundred years ago it was one of the first private buildings to have central heating, a telephone exchange and its own electricity supply provided by a water-powered generator in the river below the castle. It is well worth a visit.
With over 5.7 million members and thousands of volunteers, the National Trust is one of the largest membership organizations in the UK. Its properties attract millions of visitors annually, offering educational programs, family-friendly activities, and community initiatives that help people connect with history and nature.
You must pay to visit the National Trust properties and as an example entry to Dyffryn Gardens will be £26 for a couple or £32 for a family with three children. If this seems steep compare it with the cost for two adults to visit Longleat which is £90. Members have free entry. Annual membership of the NT appeals particularly to retired couples who have more time. The cost is £160 for a joint adult membership, which may seem expensive but if you were to visit ten properties in a year it would work out at only £16 for each visit. The National Trust is a great organisation why not start with a visit to Dyffryn Gardens where spring flowers are in bloom.