The National Trust

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty , known as The National Trust, is the largest conservation and preservation in the world. The National Trust, located in Great Britain, was founded on 12 of January 1895 by Octavia Hill , Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley , prompted in part by the earlier success of Charles Eliot and the Kyrle Society.The Trust owns thousands of properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This includes over 200 country estates of historic interest as well as gardens, mills, and over 623,000 acres of countryside, which accounts for 1.5% of the total land mass of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust owns about 25% of the scenic Lake District in North West England and about 12% of the Peak District National Park. Furthermore, the National Trust maintains 32 National Nature Reserves, 40,000 archeological sites and 468 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The Trust also protects over 700 miles of coastline through its Neptune Coastline Campaign.The focus on country houses and gardens which now comprise the majority of its most visited properties came about in the mid 20th century when it was realised that the private owners of many of these properties were no longer able to afford to maintain them.National Trust Objectives:Protecting the Coastline,Preserving the Countryside,Maintaining hundreds of the nation's castles, country houses and gardens,educating the youth on the countryside's importance,andhelping to shape public policy regarding Great Britain's national heritage; among others.