National Trust for Scotland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Trust for Scotland

Formation	1 May 1931 (1931-05-01)
Legal status	Trust
Headquarters	Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road, Hermiston, Edinburgh EH11 4DF Scotland
Location	Scotland
Membership	330,000
Key people	Jackie Bird (President) Sir Mark Jones (Chairman) Philip Long (Chief Executive)
Staff	469 full-time equivalent 760 Total

Craigievar Castle, Aberdeenshire, one of many properties in the care of the charity.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is a special charity in Scotland. It works to protect and share Scotland's amazing natural places and historic buildings. Think of it as a guardian for Scotland's past and its beautiful landscapes, so everyone can enjoy them now and in the future!

NTS is the biggest charity of its kind in Scotland, with over 330,000 members. They look after about 130 different places and huge areas of land. These include old castles, small historic homes, beautiful gardens, wild coastlines, and tall mountains. It's a bit like the National Trust that looks after places in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

History of the Trust

The National Trust for Scotland started in 1931. Its full name was "National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty." People decided to create it after talking in a room at Pollok House in Glasgow.

The Trust officially began on May 1, 1931. Its first president was John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl, and its first chairman was Sir Iain Colqhoun. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, who owned Pollok House, became a vice-president. He also gave the Trust its very first property, Crookston Castle. Another important early place they bought was Glen Coe in 1935, with help from the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

In 1935, a special law was passed called the National Trust for Scotland Order Confirmation Act. This law gave the Trust the power to make its properties "inalienable." This means these places are protected forever and can only be removed from the Trust with special permission from the Scottish Parliament.

Sometimes, when the Trust took over mountain areas, there were disagreements about where to put visitor centers. Some people felt these buildings spoiled the wild feeling of the land. Because of this, the Trust has since moved or removed some of these centers. For example, the old Glen Coe Visitor Centre was moved in 2002, and the one at Ben Lawers was removed in 2012.

In 2010, a report looked at how the Trust was working. It found some things that could be better. The Trust then made changes to how it was organized. This helped them get their finances in order. In 2015, they were able to buy a new property, Alloa Tower, which was their first purchase in seven years.

Historians working for the NTS have found that at least 36 of the Trust's 139 historic properties have connections to the Atlantic slave trade. Many past owners of these properties either directly or indirectly benefited from slavery or received money related to it.

How the Trust Works

The National Trust for Scotland is a registered charity in Scotland. This means it's a non-profit group that does good work for the public.

As of 2022, the Trust had 469 full-time staff, and 760 people in total if you count seasonal workers. They also have over 310,000 members who support their work.

The Trust has important leaders:

• The Patron is King Charles III.
• The President is Jackie Bird.
• The Chief Executive (CEO) is Philip Long OBE.
• The Chairman is Sir Mark Jones.

Funding and Support

The Trust gets its money from different places to do its important work. In the year ending February 2022, their total income was about £51.9 million.

Their main sources of money are:

• Membership fees from people who join the Trust.
• Money from shops, cafes, and other activities at their properties.
• Income from investments.
• Money from the properties themselves, like entry fees.

In the same year, the Trust spent about £51.9 million. They had a small financial gap, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have a plan to make sure they are financially strong again. This will help them fix and maintain their properties and continue to offer great experiences for visitors.

Membership and Volunteers

If you become a member of the Trust, you can visit their properties for free. They also offer "Discovery Tickets" for people visiting for a shorter time. Being a member also lets you visit properties of the National Trust in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for free.

The Trust also has partner organizations in other countries, like The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and The Canadian National Trust for Scotland Foundation.

The Trust publishes a magazine for its members. It was called Heritage Scotland until 2002, when it changed its name to Scotland in Trust.

Volunteers are very important for the Trust, especially for looking after their natural places. Local groups of Conservation Volunteers help with projects on weekends. The charity also runs special working holidays called "Thistle Camps." During these camps, volunteers help with things like fixing footpaths and removing plants like rhododendrons that can harm native plants.

National Trust for Scotland Properties

The Trust looks after many different types of properties across Scotland.

Historic Houses

The Trust owns many historic houses. These range from very large homes like Culzean Castle and the House of Dun to smaller, more humble places like the Tenement House in Glasgow and Moirlanich Longhouse. Each house tells a unique story about Scotland's past.

Gardens

The Trust is the biggest owner of gardens in Scotland. They have almost 70 gardens that cover a huge area and contain thousands of different types of plants. These gardens show the full history of Scottish gardening. You can see everything from medieval gardens at Culross Palace to grand 18th-century designs at Culzean Castle and modern plant collections at Brodick and Inverewe.

Coastline and Countryside

The Trust owns large areas of upland, including Ben Lomond.

The Trust is one of the largest land managers in Scotland. They own 76,000 hectares of Scottish countryside. This includes 46 Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet), over 400 islands, and long stretches of coastline. Some of their famous countryside properties are Glen Coe, Torridon, and Mar Lodge Estate.

The Trust has a "Wild Land Policy" to guide how they manage these areas. Their goal is to keep the land wild and undeveloped, while still allowing people to visit and enjoy it. These Trust sites are home to many different native animals. They estimate that almost 25% of Scotland's seabirds nest on their islands and coastal sites! Their countryside properties are also home to mammals like red deer, pine marten, wildcats, and red squirrels.

Since 1957, the Trust has owned and managed the remote islands of St Kilda. This is Scotland's first World Heritage Site. It's special because it's listed for both its amazing nature and its cultural history. St Kilda and its tall sea stacks are home to over one million seabirds. They also have three unique animals found only on these islands: the Soay sheep, the St Kilda field mouse, and the St Kilda wren.

Paintings and Sculpture Collection

Across all its properties, the Trust is responsible for looking after hundreds of thousands of objects. These include paintings, furniture, and old tools. The main goal is to show these collections and artworks in the historic rooms where they originally belonged.

Most Visited Sites

In 2021-2022, the Trust welcomed 2.2 million visitors to its properties. About 1.3 million of these visits were to "gated" properties, which are places where non-members pay to enter.

Here are the 10 most visited properties in 2016:

Images for kids

• 

  Crookston Castle in Glasgow was the first property acquired by the Trust.

• 

  Glen Coe, the Trust's first major land acquisition

• 

  Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, the Trust's most popular visitor site

• 

  Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire is one of the Trust's most iconic sites.

See also

In Spanish: National Trust for Scotland para niños

• List of National Trust for Scotland properties
• Historic Environment Scotland