The William Morris Society aims to perpetuate the memory of one of the greatest men of the Victorian, or any, age. The life, work and ideas of William Morris (1834-1896) are as important today as they were in his lifetime. The Society exists to make them as widely known as possible.

The variety of Morris’s ideas and activities bring together those who are interested in him as a designer, craftsman, poet, and socialist, who admire his robust and generous personality, his creative energy and his courage. His ideas on how we live and how we might live, on creative work, leisure and machinery, on ecology and conservation, on politics and the place of arts in our lives remain as stimulating now as they were over a century ago.

The Society, established in 1955, publishes a Journal, Newsletter and commentaries on all aspects of Morris’s work and runs a varied series of talks and visits throughout the year. It encourages the re-publication of Morris’s works and the continued manufacture of his textile and wallpaper designs.

The Society’s office and museum are in the basement and Coach House of Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, Morris’s London home for the last eighteen years of his life. During this time he ran his manufacturing company, Morris and Company, at Merton Abbey, he founded the Kelmscott Press and he held Socialist League (later the Hammersmith Socialist Society) meetings in the Coach House. Today the Society’s talks and other events are held in the Coach House; it also hosts exhibitions of works by Morris and his wider circle. See our Events and Our Museum pages for details.

We campaign to save outstanding buildings and design that have shaped the British landscape since 1914. Some are iconic, others are little-known gems, but all of them are irreplaceable and many are under threat.

The Twentieth Century Society was founded in 1979, as a direct response to growing interest in C20th architecture and to complement the preservation work of the Victorian Society, which was founded in 1959.

From day one, our focus has been on preservation and education: campaigning to protect the buildings and design that characterise C20th Britain; helping as many people as possible to appreciate their importance and beauty.

Today, we are involved in a number of important campaigns, all of which involve our experts, members, volunteers and supporters. We undertake casework related to planning applications for listed buildings, as we have a statutory role in the planning system.

The C20 Society runs a busy schedule of events (including guided tours, conferences and lectures) and publishes books and a thrice-yearly magazine, C20. The income from these activities is used to fund our campaigns, casework and running costs.

You can explore our history interactively on the C20 timeline or read a more detailed history, written by Gavin Stamp and Alan Powers.

The Traditional Paint Forum (TPF) was set up in 1994 as a membership forum for discussing and promoting a better understanding and appreciation of traditional paint.

If you are interested in the myriad of issues involved in the use of traditional paint, in an architectural context, your membership of the Forum could support the ongoing debate and we would welcome your involvement.

The holistic nature of the organisation is perhaps best reflected in its Annual Workshop and Conference where the papers given on the architectural and historical significance of particular decorative schemes are given greater depth by contributions on paint-analysis; conservation techniques; cleaning and redecoration. This is usually supplemented by practical demonstrations of the original techniques and materials used and possible new alternative paint materials that might be worth considering.

The Annual Conference is reinforced by an annual journal containing articles on a disparate number of topics, but often including papers delivered at the conference, and a newsletter, ‘Smudge.’

The TPF have also organised some very successful Paint Days, which give an introductory overview to traditional paint technology and, through popular demand, have been repeated on a number of occasions in different United Kingdom locations.

The Traditional Paint Forum is interested in the influences, personalities and circumstances that gave rise to particular decorative schemes in an architectural context.

But, very importantly, we also believe the only way informed judgments can be made about the significance and future of existing or lost schemes is to also understand what materials were used to create them and how they were executed. The ‘why’ is not the whole story …’how’ can be just as vital!

Established in 1983 as a Charity, our aim is to advance the education of the general public in the history and development of hand tools and their use and of the people and trades that use them. But what does that actually mean?

This site is not just for collectors, or historians, but also the curious, with members worldwide. This covers any activity or craft where tools are used - book binding, leather work, sail making, boat building, cabinet making, printing, animal husbandry, metal working, wheelwrights, cider making, glove making, the list is endless, and how these implements have evolved over centuries.

This site is for researchers into social history but it is also for the young to explore something they picked up at the local car boot sale, or found in a skip, to encourage an interest and perhaps a craft.

This site is also for craftsmen and women to learn how different tools were used and to what effect, and for discussion, for mutual learning and exchange of information. There are social events and volunteering opportunities with like-minded and interested people and expert advice.

TACS is for anyone interested in tiles and decorative ceramics related to buildings.

Tiles have a history stretching back more than one thousand years. In the 13th and 14th centuries Europe’s churches were paved with decorated tiles. At the same time buildings in the Arab world were adorned with richly coloured tiles. Holland was an important centre for tiles in the 17th and 18th centuries and in the 19th century Britain pioneered mass-produced tiles. The 20th century has seen both a decline and a revival in tile-making. Tiles are now much collected and studied. Tiles are all around us for everyone to enjoy. Ceramic tiles cover walls and floors, roofs and pavements, furniture and stoves, and can be seen in churches and mosques, pubs and shops, hospitals and homes. They are often combined with other forms of ceramics such as terracotta, faience and mosaic.

The Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society (TACS) has served as Britain’s national society promoting the study and conservation of tiles and architectural ceramics since 1981. An international membership of individuals and institutions is drawn from the fields of tile museums, conservation, manufacturing (both industrial and craft), architecture, design, tile collecting and antiques.

The Tile Association (TTA) was formed in January 2000, through the amalgamation of the NMTFA (National Master Tile Fixers’ Association), the NTA (National Tile Association), the TPB (Tile Promotion Board) and British Ceramic Tile Council, with over 75 years of combined industry experience.

Since formation, TTA has more than doubled in size as the single, independent association for the entire UK tiling industry. TTA now has more than 1,000 member business units, consisting of tiling contractors, fixers, distributors, retailers and manufacturers. The aim is to achieve a competent, qualified workforce in the industry.

TTA operates as a Trade Association with the TTA Board having overall responsibility for the work of the Association, as well as being responsible for future policy and financial matters. Many members of the Board and Committees have contributed to the formation of British Standards, which all TTA members follow.

The Tile Association is a member of Build UK– who lead the construction industry by bringing together clients, main contractors and trade associations; and CPA (Construction Products Association) – who represent the UK’s manufacturers and distributors of construction products and materials.

TTA headquarters is based in Stone, Staffordshire.

Our History - The Scottish Ironwork Foundation is a registered charity which promotes historic architectural ironwork made or found in Scotland.

Scotland has lost a great deal of its industrial heritage - entire industries have been wiped away without any physical trace.

With the establishment of Carron in 1759, the light castings industry boomed and developed into the mid-19th Century to a point where Scotland was a global player inthe sector, its goods highly prized and names like the Saracen Foundry of Walter Macfarlane and Co, Mcdowall Steven’s Milton Ironworks, the Sun Foundry of George Smith and Co, David King and Sons, Mackenzie Moncur and the Lion Foundry of Kirkintilloch, became global brands. The collapse of the industry after WW2 led to these former glories being forgotten, buildings demolished, patterns destroyed, thousands of hours in design and drawing lost or even worse burned.

A slim thread of knowledge persisted amongst a few enthusiasts and this grew in the 1990’s as urban renewal projects and parks started to have their features restored or even replaced. The survival of company archival information is incredibly poor - for some firms all we have left are structures themselves, or if we are very lucky a trade catalogue. The market was global and some firms seemed to have delivered little work at home. What is most exciting is that when we think we have found everything whether it be archival or structures, out of the blue will come an email from Brasil or South Africa saying ‘we have found a small diamond mark on the ironwork that looks like it says ‘Glasgow’ - then we are off on another adventure...

The scale and reach of Scotland's influence in the manufacture and export of architectural ironwork is only starting to be fully understood. Hundreds of firms exported everything from railings to fountains, lampposts to railway stations, gutters to cast iron palaces.

Who We Are - The Scottish Ironwork Foundation came into being in 2002 as the result of a Millenium Fellowship grant to study Scottish Architectural Ironwork. We realised quickly that whilst some of us had been studying the subject for some years, the profile and understanding of what Scotland had contributed globally to this industry was not well understood.

We set out to change that and six Trustees built a database of Scottish iron structures across the world, reaching just under four thousand items. The site grew and became the place to consult for information on this remarkable industry.

Sadly our site was hacked in 2012, but thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in December 2013 we have been able to commission a new website and searchable database.

If you know of any examples of Scottish ironwork near you please get in touch! You can email us at david@scottishironwork.org.
What we do

We record, research and make publically available ironwork made or found in Scotland on our database. We take public contributions, help provide advice on identification of structures and provide additional information. We collect information relating to the firms undertaking this type of work in Scotland and undertake research projects to add to the corpus of knowledge.

We will provide advice to public and private bodies where we are able. We have the best collective archive of trade catalogues for these firms in the world, and an extensive knowledge base that supports our activities. We share this information primarily via this website but also through publications, seminars, conferences and the general press. We will sometimes get involved in rescuing objects or structures where it falls within our remit.

We can undertake research and provide archival information to support conservation and restoration projects on a fee basis to support our charitable purpose - please get in touch.

Our mission is to safeguard, enhance, and promote Shetland's heritage, ensuring it is accessible to be enjoyed by all.

Shetland Amenity Trust constantly strives to preserve and enhance everything that is distinctive about Shetland's cultural and natural heritage, promoting access to it whether physical or intellectual.

The Trust was created in 1983 and has since delivered an extensive range of high quality heritage and culture projects, in partnership with a range of local, national and international agencies.

We continue to be pro-active in seeking new opportunities and identifying new funding sources, to further enhance the heritage and culture experience for local Shetland people and visitors to our islands.

We are part of a community which takes great pride and pleasure in our cultural and natural heritage, embracing traditions, dialect and our physical environment in all of our activities.

Churches, chapels and burial grounds are familiar landmarks to us all. They make up the greater part of our rich ecclesiastical heritage. Rural churches, ruined monasteries, cathedrals and suburban places of worship - all are witness to our complex religious and social past. The archaeological study and conservation of ecclesiastical buildings and their contents - including monuments, stained glass, bells and furnishings - as well as burial grounds, earthworks and landscapes, provide a unique insight into our past. This precious and often fragile legacy is increasingly under threat. The Society for Church Archaeology was formed in 1996 to provide a focus for all who are interested in promoting the care, conservation and study of the ecclesiastical buildings and landscapes of Britain and Ireland.

The Society for Church Archaeology aims to promote the study of churches and other places of worship, along with their associated monuments and landscapes, and publicises the results of the latest research and discoveries in its journal and newsletter. The society also works to ensure recoginition of archaeological aspects of church conservation, contributes to the preservation and management of sites and buildings, and complements the work of existing organisations by acting as a specific and all-inclusive focus for church archaeology.

Churches with round towers are unusual: they are found mostly in East Anglia.

The Round Tower Churches Society (RTCS) was established in 1973 to help preserve these churches and to explore their origins and history. There are 186 in England including those in a semi-ruinous condition and visible remnants of fallen towers. All are in East Anglia except for three in Sussex and two in Berkshire. Norfolk has 131, Suffolk 41, Essex seven and two in Cambridgeshire, according to the leading architect and authority on round tower churches, Stephen Hart.

Most are medieval, dating from the 11th to the 14th centuries. Some pre-date the Norman Conquest.

In the past 47 years, the Society has made grants of over £250,000 to help many of the English round tower churches. As a registered charity, the members subscriptions and valued legacies are greatly appreciated.

Support the Society and enable us to continue to provide grants for these churches.

Join yourself or give a year’s membership to a friend – go to Society. For information about recent grants and work in churches visit Grants.

The Rectory Society is an organisation formed in 2006 for those interested in some our country's greatest respositories of architectural, social, cultural and religious history - rectories and vicarages.

Rectories, parsonages and other clergy dwellings are a unique feature of the ecclesiastical history of the British Isles, and many are of exceptional architectural importance. The society aims to encourage wider appreciation of their cultural importance through events and publications, and by compiling a database to record information on these buildings

AIMS

To encourage the wider appreciation of the cultural importance of rectories, vicarages and parsonages.

To build up a database of information, photographs and, in time, to become a national inventory.

To publish material on the cultural contribution of these buildings and to maintain a website for public access to such material.

For Members:

AGM with an annual lecture. Past speakers have included: Sir Tom Stoppard, Edmund de Waal, Lord King and P D James.
Regular visits to past and present clergy dwellings and the churches they serve.
A newsletter three times a year with articles of historical, architectural and literary interest.
A local member network to exchange knowledge and advice about the care of these buildings.

Railways in the first half of the 19th Century made the Industrial Revolution possible. They were the agents of a great upheaval in Britain, bringing wealth and new opportunities to agriculture and industry, making it possible to do business across great distances, creating the conditions for cities to grow, allowing remote areas to become vital ports and industrial centres, and employing multitudes of people in steady, reliable employment. The railways were the largest agents of economic and social changes in those times. The mobility they gave to the British people has never been lost. Although such a continuous and major upheaval did not find favour with all – the gentry were nervous of how access to travel raised the aspirations of ordinary folk and the romantics, like Wordsworth objected to the changes – the contribution the railways made to life in Britain was huge.

150 years later, there has been significant change, and we are experiencing the Electronic Revolution. These changes seemed to be outmoding the railways at first, but now the demand for rail transport has begun to swell again. High speed city to city passenger use is now higher than the levels of the ‘golden years’ of the railways, and the energy efficient nature of rail encourages the belief that the relevance of railways will continue to grow in the future. During those 150 years there has been much change, and some of the important and iconic items from the past have been allowed to disappear.

However, in 1985 British Rail set up the Railway Heritage Trust as an independent company, to assist the operational railway in its preservation and upkeep of listed buildings and structures, and to facilitate the transfer of non-operational premises and structures to outside bodies willing to undertake their preservation. This was so that valuable railway items could remain with us and be looked after, both when they are still in use and when change has removed their operational utility.

Upon the privatisation of the railways, the Railway Heritage Trust was maintained, and Network Rail and the Highways England (Historical Railways Estate) now sponsor the work it does. The job of safeguarding the assets, passed down to us all those years ago, is carried out with enthusiasm by the Trust, working with individuals, main line and heritage railways, conservation bodies, local and central government, and anyone else involved in the job of keeping past, present and future in harmony.

On this web site you will find details about how the Trust works, who its Directors and Officers are, what is in and out of scope for the Trust and how to apply for a grant from it. You can also find the most recent Annual Reports, which show the projects the Railway Heritage Trust has most recently undertaken and give its financial results; finally there are the answers to some frequently asked questions about the Trust.

NHIG is dedicated to the safeguarding and preservation of historic ironwork through promoting high standards of workmanship, conservation and repair by working towards the development and creation of:

- Guidelines on specification of restoration work
- Accreditation for blacksmith conservator/restorers
- Resource centre for ironwork information
- Courses studying historic ironwork

In other conservation disciplines practitioners are expected to prove themselves by achieving some kind of accreditation. The field of heritage ironwork deserves no less.

The Society was founded in 1887 by a group of Cambridge undergraduates keen to preserve and record monumental brasses. Initially it was known as the Cambridge University Association of Brass Collectors. Later it was renamed the Monumental Brass Society.

Early research into brasses focussed chiefly on English brasses of the medieval and early modern periods. Today, however, the field is much wider. Chronologically it extends to brasses of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and geographically to those of Continental Europe and beyond. Incised slabs are also the subject of growing interest. Areas of current research include the artistic context of brasses, workshop organisation and the self-image of the commemorated.

Membership will particularly benefit those with an interest in genealogy, ecclesiology and the study of costume, armour and heraldry, as well as those interested in church monuments.

More about the history of the M.B.S. can be found in:
Richard Busby, The Monumental Brass Society: a Short History 1887-1987
(Monumental Brass Society, 1987).
Activities of the Society

The Society provides advice and assistance to churches on the care and preservation of their brasses and incised slabs. Grants are available to assist funding the conservation of brasses.

The Society continues to influence brass-rubbing activities by advising clergy and Parochial Church Councils. The rubbing of certain original brasses is discouraged and the use of facsimiles recommended instead.

The Mills Archive is a permanent repository for the documentary and photographic records of traditional and contemporary mills and milling, as well as similar structures dependent on traditional power sources. It makes that material freely available for public inspection and use in research and learning.

The Mills Archive is one of the world’s great mill collections. It has rescued over 3 million documents and images that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill site. It is an Aladdin’s cave filled with memories and free to users. The collections show the rich and diverse crafts, buildings, machinery, equipment and people involved with mills in the UK and around the world.

We believe in the cultural and educational values of mills and historic power sources and wish to turn that into practical support. We extend a warm welcome to family, local, national and international historians, as well as to those who simply want to find out more about our milling heritage.

AIMS AND INTENTIONS - To preserve and protect records of milling heritage, to make them freely available to the public and to become the national centre of excellence for learning, understanding and research…

Established in May 2001, we aim to “identify, record, research, conserve and interpret for public benefit the milestones and other waymarkers of the British Isles”. Our members’ interests also include tollhouses, turnpike history and canal milestones. Charitable status was gained in 2004.

Since then, our members have recorded over thirty one thousand milestones, other waymarkers and tollhouses. Photographs of over twenty one thousand of these are displayed on Google Earth mapping on our own Repository and on Geograph.org.uk. Our collections also feature on the Heritage Gateway and other sites.

The Society has also amassed a vast quantity of images, articles and other material; you can find our Policy Note on Archiving here.

Over the years, our members have restored hundreds of milestones, especially in Cornwall and Norfolk, and have given talks to thousands of people in history and archaeological societies, Probus clubs, civic societies and other groups. We’ve led heritage walks and participated in Heritage Open Days and Festivals of Archaeology, with articles in the national press, local papers, on the radio and on TV. We’ve a lively facebook Group and a presence on YouTube and twitter. Specific major projects to restore milestones or to engage with local communities (including a national poetry competition!) have been kindly supported by funding bodies such as Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Big Lottery.

We also make an award to an outstanding student on the Conservation of the Historic Environment course at Birmingham City University in memory of our founder, Terry Keegan.

Would you be willing to support our cause, too ?

Who we are - We have around 400 members throughout the UK and overseas. The Society is managed by a national committee of up to twelve members, overseen by five Trustees; all are volunteers. They are supported by an Editorial Panel who produce our publications and a group of specialist advisers. None of our officers are paid; we buy in professional services when required. On the ground, work is carried out by local groups led by County Representatives. The Society publishes a twice yearly newsletter and an occasional Journal; you can view or download back issues HERE

The Society’s AGM and Annual Conference are held on the first Saturday of October – our Constitution - and more volunteers are always welcomed! Further information and enquiries should be addressed to our Hon Secretary: John Atkinson “Walkley” Walkley Hill Stroud Glos GL5 3TX (Registered Office) email: honsec@milestonesociety.co.uk

And you can JOIN us here, by completing an application form and paying your subscription through Paypal, by credit or debit card or from a Paypal account.

Should you have an enquiry relating to milestones or other waymarkers but can't find the answer on this website (for example, in our Care and Repair Guidance section) please contact our Hon Sec who will forward your enquiry to someone who can help: HonSec@milestonesociety.co.uk

The Mausolea and Monuments Trust is a charitable trust for the protection and preservation of mausolea and funerary monuments situated in Great Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1997 by the late Jill Allibone.

Why do mausolea need protection?

Because, exposed to the ravages of plants and vandals, they are all too often abandoned and friendless. In law they belong to those that built them, but in many cases the families have died out or lost interest. Parish councils, local authorities and cemetery companies must ensure the buildings do not become dangerous, but are not responsible for their upkeep. So, as private monuments in the public domain, they fall outside the normal patterns of care. But why preserve such buildings? There are many answers to this question. Some mausolea are major historic buildings while others are important as monuments to the famous. But this is by no means all, these buildings have much to say about the human condition; some make grandiose statements about family pride, others tell poignant stories of love and loss, a number were built in the occupant’s favourite spot (often commanding a magnificent view) and some, built by eccentrics, are simply bizarre. There is no other type of building quite so personal or so diverse.
What is the MMT doing to help?

It has taken six ‘friendless’ mausolea into guardianship. These are:

The Bateman Mausoleum, Morley, Derbyshire
The Heathcote Mausoleum, Hursley, Hampshire
The Wynne Ellis Mausoleum, Whitstable, Kent
The Nash Mausoleum, Farningham, Kent
The Guise Mausoleum, Elmore, Gloucestershire
The Boileau Mausoleum, Ketteringham, Norfolk

Two of these, the Bateman Mausoleum and the Heathcote Mausoleum, were in poor condition. We have now fully restored the Bateman and Heathcote Mausolea. We have replaced the oak doors of the Wynn Ellis Mausoleum in replica, incorporating the original grilles, and carried out minor works to the rest of the building. The Nash Mausoleum was handed over to us in good condition so it did not need repair, while the Guise Mausoleum is, and will remain, a maintained ruin. We have also compiled and continue to add to a gazetteer of mausolea from across Great Britain and Ireland. Besides brief histories of the buildings, it contains information on their condition when last visited. By raising awareness of mausolea and, in many cases, their parlous condition, we hope to encourage people to visit them and even, where feasible, help to maintain and restore them. The work of the MMT has been supported by generous grants from The Pilgrim Trust, English Heritage and other charitable bodies, as well as donations from members of the public.

What is a mausoleum?

A mausoleum is a house of the dead. Larger than tombs, these buildings are free-standing roofed structures erected to receive coffins. They take their name from one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, the vast tomb of King Mausolus of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor. Most British mausolea date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Symbols of dynastic pride, pious respect and love, they stand in their hundreds in churchyards, cemeteries and parks. Many of Britain’s finest architects were involved in their design. Neo-classical, Egyptian or Gothic, they form a varied, emotionally charged, and irreplaceable part of the built heritage.

When is a mausoleum not a mausoleum?

This is a ticklish question. The MMT has defined mausolea as 'house[s] for the dead...freestandinding roofed structures erected to receive coffins'. But despite this we have included some funerary chapels attached to churches in our gazetteer. Furthermore, the gazetteer also contains a number of buildings that are really no more than porches, small above-ground structures, sheltering steps leading down to a vault below. The reason for our catholicism is that one type of mausoleum shades into another. In many cases a freestanding mausoleum, built in the form of a chapel with a vault below, differs little from a funerary chapel attached to a church. All that has happened is that, as the church crypt has become too crowded for further burials, the chapel has moved away from the church. With regard to vaults in churchyards or cemeteries, the deciding factor with regard to inclusion in the gazetteer has been the existence of an above-ground structure with a door; we have excluded those which are merely sealed with a slab.

Maintain our Heritage is a group of building conservation campaigners, academics and others who first came together in 1997, having all realised how UK building conservation had become focussed on rescuing historic buildings in advance states of decay, rather than preventing them from decay through appropriate and timely maintenance.

We drew inspiration from the Dutch Monumentenwacht, which – by total contrast – has for nearly 50 years operated teams of operatives clearing out the gutters of historic buildings and doing immediate minor repairs such as replacing cracked or slipped roof tiles.
Early Days

In 2002, we set up a pilot scheme in Bath, Somerset, to test whether a similar service could be provided in the UK. More information on this is on a separate page here. This concluded that there were no technical obstacles to setting up such a service here, but there were significant financial barriers.

The pilot scheme proved popular with local churches and led directly to the creation of our GutterClear scheme with the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester.

Putting it off: Research - Between 2003 and 2006, we led a collaborative research programme funded by the Department of Trade & Industry. The results are available online here and have informed our thinking ever since.

Corporate Status - Maintain our Heritage is a not-for- profit company, limited by guarantee, registered in England number no 3983254

Founded in 1976, the LBSG has identified around 800 different types of postbox. There are more than 400 different varieties of pillar box; around 160 types of wall box, 66 Ludlow boxes and almost 80 versions of the lamp box. New boxes are still appearing while there are still many older boxes waiting to be discovered and rediscovered. The Letter Box Study Group is the acknowledged authority on the history and development of the British roadside letter box.

Membership - We are an active group of individuals devoted to the study of postboxes. From modest beginnings four decades ago the Letter Box Study Group has grown to become the recognised authority on the subject – all through the voluntary efforts of its members.

2021 was a successful year for the Trust with 38 bells re-located. We would like to express our thanks to all those people who have and continue to help us. Without your help we would not have known about many of the surplus/redundant bells which are being or about to be used once again in other churches.

9th June 2019 - Our “Church index” projects are now downloadable PDF files and no longer individual web pages. They are organised by Country apart from England which is by County.

Information Required: If you know of any surplus or redundant bells (including cases where church closure is likely) please send us an email. We rely on this information to acquire bells using our Bell Rescue Fund.

The art and science of ringing bells in a seemingly endless variety of sequences with a distinct and regular beat has developed over several centuries in the United Kingdom, and is recognised as being distinctly British. The sound of this type of ringing is an established and valued part of our national heritage. The continuation and further development of this unique tradition depends entirely on the use of bells in Church towers. Through ringing of its bells the Church can become a focus of pride for the whole community.

English style bell-ringing is not restricted to the United Kingdom. There are established ringing societies in Africa, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the USA.

For centuries Churches have augmented their peal of bells or installed a peal of bells. Most bells are newly cast, but an increasing number are “recycled” from other churches. The Trust helps Churches acquire surplus or redundant bells which will be hung for English-style bell-ringing.