National Trust

National Trust

The National Trust looks after the places you love, from houses, buildings and gardens to coast and countryside. Back in 1895, we were founded with the aim of saving our nation's heritage and open spaces. 120 years later, we're still working hard to uphold these values.

At the National Trust we have over 300 houses and 200 historic parks and gardens across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Not to mention the 250,000 hectares of countryside and miles of coastline there is to enjoy. In fact, wherever you are, you’re never more than 40 minutes away from one of the amazing places in our care.

Schools

We provide a membership scheme for schools and academic groups. From only £39 your whole school can be covered for 12 months, getting free admission to any National Trust site.

Find out more about the membership

Costs: 1 March 2015

  • Home-educating family - £41.00
  • Under 50 pupils - £41.00
  • 51-100 pupils - £68.50
  • 101-200 pupils - £83.00
  • 201-500 pupils - £88.00
  • Over 500 pupils - £101.50
  • Tertiary field study - £130.00

Many of our venues offers group visit opportunities and special activities for schools. Visit each venue page to find out full details.

50 Things To Do...

Don't miss the National Trust's 50 Things To Do Before You Are 11 3/4 campaign!

Some Fascinating Facts You May Not Know About Us

  • Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire, is believed to be the very one that inspired him in 1665, when the 'notion of gravitation came to mind' after he watched an apple fall. The tree, a rare variety Flower of Kent, fell down in 1820, but is still growing well, having rooted where the trunk touched the ground.
  • Over 43 per cent of rainwater in England and Wales drains through National Trust places and spaces.
  • The cloisters at Lacock Abbey were transformed into Hogwarts classrooms for the filming of the 'Harry Potter' series of movies. We are also the home of many of the scenes from Downton Abbey and Wolf Hall.
  • We’re the nation's largest farmer, with more than 618,000 acres of land and about 2,000 tenants.
  • Some 45 volunteer toad patrollers help save toads on the North Yorkshire Moors.
  • We have 120 volunteer firefighters, 15 volunteer pilots, two beekeepers and one shepherd.
  • We have 32 Plant Heritage National Plant Collections – making us the largest single collection holder in the UK.
  • A 1m sq of tapestry costs £4,333 to conserve, whereas it costs approximately £26,500 per m sq to weave a new tapestry (according to trials carried out by West Dean College).
  • We own 742 miles of coastline, including some of the best beaches and coastal paths in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • The Marconi Centre in Podhu, Cornwall, received the world’s first transatlantic radio transmission in 1901 – an experimental SOS was sent by Marconi himself from Newfoundland to the lonely site on the Cornish coast.
  • We have four closets for wig powdering. Wigs needed dedicated powdering rooms to limit the mess.
  • We own a gold mine - The Dolaucothi Gold Mines in Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire to be exact!

​National Trust HQ - Heelis

The National Trust's award-winning central office is a remarkable example of innovative and sustainable building construction. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects in 2005, this architectural gem uses timber from our woodlands and wool from Herdwick sheep grazed on Trust farmlands, to help make Heelis a unique working environment.

National Trust Collections website

Visit the National Trust Collections website at http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk to browse and discover more about the collections the Trust owns.

Address: 
Kemble Drive
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN2 2NA
United Kingdom
Contact Number: 
01793 817575
Contact Email: 
heelis@nationaltrust.org.uk
Website: 
National Trust Website

Venues for this Organisation

The Handsam SchoolTripsAdvisor map shows the current listings featured below. It will update as you navigate through the pages if more than 25 listings are related. Clicking on circle with a number will make the map zoom in to show the individual items.Click on any place marker to view details of that venue

Attingham Park

18th-century mansion and estate shaped by a story of love and neglect

Built for the first Lord Berwick in 1785, Attingham Hall and its beautiful parkland were owned by one family for more than 160 years. As their fortunes rose and fell they proved themselves to be spenders, savers and saviours - providing a fascinating story of love and neglect whose mark still stands in Attingham’s rooms today.

Ashridge Estate

Wonderful landscape for walking (and running!), with splendid views and fun interactive games in the Visitor Centre for the kids.

Ashridge Estate is a vast 2,00 hectare swathe of beautiful woodlands and chalk downland at the north end of the Chiltern Hills.

Features include:

Ashleworth Tithe Barn

15th-century Tithe Barn

The barn, with its immense stone-tiled roof, is picturesquely situated close to the banks of the River Severn. It was built in the 15th Century by the canons of St Augustine's, Bristol.

Only the barn is owned by the National Trust. The beautiful medieval house adjoining it is privately owned, as are the adjacent pig-pens. Please note that the church may not be open every day.

Ashdown House

Unusual Dutch-style house on the Berkshire Downs

This extraordinary building with the appearance of a dolls' house nestles in a beautiful valley on the Berkshire Downs, surrounded by woodland.

It was built by an Earl, William Craven, as a house fit for the queen he loved, Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia in 1662.

Ascott House

This half-timbered Jacobean farmhouse, transformed by the de Rothschilds towards the end of the 19th century, now houses an exceptional collection of paintings, fine furniture and superb oriental porcelain.

The extensive gardens are an attractive mix of formal and natural, with specimen trees and shrubs and some unusual features.

Arnside and Silverdale

A national and internationally important wildlife area

Arnside Knott is covered with limestone grassland and mixed woodland, which attracts a variety of insects and is especially renowned for butterflies.The area is made up of species-rich limestone grassland, woodland, wet meadow, scree and scrub.

There are outstanding views from the summit to the Lake District and Morecambe Bay.

Belmont Tower

This landmark building, formerly Belmont Primary School, has a history dating back to the 1890s

The Gothic-styled late Victorian listed building was beautifully restored by The Old Belmont School Preservation Trust and today it is a hive of activity offering classes, conference facilities, a coffee shop and CS Lewis exhibition.

Beesands to Hallsands

Discover the haunting remains of the lost village of Hallsands

An atmospheric and poignant walk along the South West Coast Path.

Journey from the quaint fishing village of Beesands to the tragic remains of Hallsands. Walk alongside the southern coast through farmland brimming with insects, including the very rare Penny Royal (Mentha pulegium), gulls and kestrels.

Barrington Court

Discover the echoes of history in the heart of Somerset, in breathtaking gardens and working orchards

Discover the haunting echoes of the past at Barrington Court, a Tudor manor house free from collections and furniture. Explore using your imagination and your senses to discover a house full of memories, where light fills the rooms and you feel you can almost touch the past.

Baggy Point

The impressive headland at Croyde with crashing waves and dramatic cliffs

Baggy Point overlooks Croyde with one of the best surfing beaches in North Devon. It has stunning coastal views, great walks along the South West Coast Path and opportunities to climb, surf and coasteer, it's a must-do destination for anyone visiting North Devon.

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters

Surf, go rock pooling or relax in the sun

Birling Gap and Crowlink, near Eastbourne in East Sussex, are part of the world famous Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline on the south coast.

One minute you can be walking on ancient downland, the next you could be rockpooling below towering cliffs of chalk. Spectacular, unspoilt views of the sea can be seen from all angles.

Bideford Bay and Hartland

Miles of unspoilt coastline that inspired Rudyard Kipling

A quiet but most beautiful stretch of rugged cliffs, sheltered valleys and ancient woodlands.

Explore Brownsham and Hartland which has miles of unspoilt cliffs, bays and waterfalls with woodland valleys and grassland.  

When visiting the historic fishing village of Clovelly, make your way to the small leafy park of Mount Pleasant with fantastic views across Bideford Bay.

Biddulph Grange Garden

Delightful high Victorian garden - an extraordinary survival from the 19th century

Tunnels, winding paths, a Cheshire cottage that turns into an Egyptian tunnel, fish to feed, a Chinese temple, trees to discover and a new woodland walk to play in and explore.

Bibury

Seventeenth-century weavers' cottages and water meadow set in the Cotswold village of Bibury

This Gloucestershire beauty spot is a great place to visit whatever you're looking for.

For a bit of history, take a stroll down the picturesque Arlington Row. These cottages were built in 1380 as a monastic wool store and converted into weavers' cottages in the 17th century.

Black Down

The highest point in the South Downs National Park

Black Down in West Sussex is a landscape of wavy hair grass, purple heather and pine trees, where you can still get a true sense of 'wild'.

The views have inspired many for years and none so renowned as Tennyson himself: ‘You came and looked and loved the view, long known and loved by me, Green Sussex fading into blue with one grey glimpse of sea.’

Blackcap

A classic downland experience with secret woodland glades

Blackcap, in East Sussex, occupies 623 acres along the ridge of the South Downs, just west of the historic old town of Lewes. This stunning hilltop area offers fine views over The Weald to the north and across the dip-slope to the coast.

Blaise Hamlet

Nine rustic cottages around a green

A delightful hamlet of nine picturesque cottages laid out around an open green. The hamlet, which is four miles north of the city centre, was built in 1811 to accommodate retired staff from Blaise Castle estate in Henbury. 

Blakeney National Nature Reserve

Extensive area of saltmarsh, vegetated shingle, dunes and grazing marsh

Wide open spaces and uninterrupted views of the natural and dynamic coastline make for an inspiring visit to Blakeney, at any time of the year.

The moving tides, covering pristine saltmarsh or exposing the harbour, combined with the varying light of Norfolk's big skies, create an ever-changing scene.

Aira Force and Ullswater

A tranquil haven of towering peaks, serene waters and undulating hills

Ullswater valley is truly breathtaking, with its beautiful lake nestled amongst towering fells. The epic scenery and relative underdevelopment compared to other areas of the Lake District gives Ullswater a secluded and tranquil feel.

Acorn Bank

Delightful garden renowned for its herbs and fruit orchards

Best known for its comprehensive herb collection and traditional fruit orchards, Acorn Bank is a tranquil haven with a fascinating industrial past. Indulge yourself at the tea-room, where culinary herbs and fruit from the garden are used daily in soups, salads and puddings.

Abinger Roughs and Netley Park

Hidden woods with ancient trees and flower-sprinkled grasslands, just off the North Downs and Pilgrims Ways

Abinger Roughs, above the village of Abinger Hammer, is an area of grassland and mixed woodland - some of the mighty oak trees are over 300 years old. The Roughs is home to many creatures and it’s a perfect spot for a young explorer to start looking at nature.

In the 1870s, Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist, actually walked on the Roughs while staying at Abinger Hall.

Abergwesyn Common

The rooftop of Wales

Abergwesyn Commons stretch for 12 miles between the Nant Irfon valley in the west and Llanwrthwl in the east. Drygarn Fawr is the highest point on the commons, lying above the Nant Irfon valley. From its summit it's possible to walk eastwards along the entire ridge almost on the level. 

Abereiddi to Abermawr

A wild stretch of coastline from blue lagoon to beach

Popular with divers and coasteerers, Abereiddi's Blue Lagoon is a spectacular coastal feature. The lagoon is actually a flooded former slate quarry and you can still see atmospheric ruined quarry buildings on the clifftops.

Aberdulais Tin Works and Waterfall

Famous waterfall and fascinating industrial site with tin workers' exhibition

Set in a steep gorge, this place demonstrates the power of water and its impact on industry.

Our film 'Reflections on Tin' traces its 400-year history, from 1584, including a visit by the famous artist JMW Turner.

Aberconwy House

14th-century merchant's house

This is the only medieval merchant's house in Conwy to have survived the turbulent history of the walled town over nearly six centuries.

Furnished rooms and an audio-visual presentation show daily life from different periods in its history.

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