The Historic Gardens Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1995. We now have a wide network of subscribers linking garden enthusiasts, visitors, owners, professional gardeners, landscape architects, historians, planners and botanists in forty countries.

Through our magazine, newsletter and website we are able to share news, views, alerts and ideas with like-minded people determined to protect our global garden heritage. We can also lobby those responsible for putting a park or garden at risk.

The Foundation receives no public funding and so is completely independent. It is based in London but works worldwide.

Subscribers can receive help for their own campaigns by tapping into our interactive global network.

Historic Gardens Review is only available by subscription.

Supporting people, places, and prosperity - We carry out vital work on behalf of independent heritage sites, from public affairs and technical guidance, through education and peer-to-peer support, to marketing and public access initiatives.

Policy and public affairs - Historic houses are hubs of culture in the countryside and vibrant small businesses, providing important employment opportunities and leisure experiences in rural communities in all corners of our four nations. They are at the heart of the UK’s world-leading tourism industry – attracting millions of visitors, generating tens of thousands of jobs, supporting communities across the country, and powering the rural economy.

Based in Westminster, our small UK policy team works closely with government, stakeholders, and politicians of all stripes to shape and influence policy for the benefit of heritage, culture and tourism. Historic Houses Scotland works in close partnership with Holyrood and other stakeholders on Scottish policy work, while in Cardiff our part-time Policy Adviser engages with Welsh government, politicians and stakeholders on behalf of Historic Houses in Wales.

We advocate for a fair and practical fiscal and regulatory framework – one that allows independent historic houses and gardens to thrive for the benefit of the nation, without burdening the public purse. We robustly represent our member houses’ interests in policy areas such as taxation, regulation, planning, sustainability, health & wellbeing and tourism. We regularly meet ministers, civil servants, and MPs across parties, and their equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We submit evidence and case studies in response to a range of consultations and reports, to aid policy-making. And we collaborate with colleagues across the heritage and tourism sectors.

Advice and guidance - Independent ownership requires those who care for – and, usually live in – historic houses to take on a bewildering spread of roles, from business CEO or HR manager to conservation specialist, health and safety inspector, planning lawyer or marketing director. Luckily, our expert advisors and professional services sponsors are on hand to offer free technical, commercial, financial and legal advice, both on-demand and through an extensive archive of online resources. Our dedicated Learning Advisory Panel offers guidance on interpretation and on education- and access-related grants.

We run a range of seminars and workshops each year for those who own or manage historic houses, and make those sessions available for viewing online at any time. Tips from the pros are shared alongside the experience of other owners; peer-to-peer support is a key benefit of being a part of the association and is encouraged at regional and national forums as well as training sessions. Our Next Generation group offers a series of events and lectures aimed specifically at those who may one day succeed to a property, to prepare them for what they’re set to take on.

COMOS-UK is the UK national committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), which has a special role as official adviser to UNESCO on cultural World Heritage Sites. At ICOMOS-UK we play a vital role in advising on aspects of World Heritage and sites for nomination across the UK. We are an independent charity with a UK-wide and international mission to promote and support best practice in the conservation, care and understanding of the historic environment.

We have three part-time staff in our secretariat based in London. We are run by an Executive Committee, and the develoment of ICOMOS-UK is overseen by the Development Committee. A copy of our Constitution may be found here
Much of our work is done through our members and through our specialist committees. Some of our members represent the UK on ICOMOS International Scientific Committees.

The inauguration of the Society on the 25th September 1947 was a matter of great satisfaction to all concerned, realizing that the advancement in scientific methods both of analysis and production, more than warranted the formation of a professional Society, not only for the free interchange of ideas, but to set a standard for those fully qualified.

That this standard is set very high, is exemplified by the qualifications required of all members to have the ability to specify, design, voice, build, tune and finish an organ of high class, and this qualification has been, and will be most fully maintained.

There is no discrimination against the membership of any individual who is fully qualified. The grades of membership consist of Student, Ordinary Members, Associates, Fellows and Councillors. In line with modern thinking the grade of Companion has been introduced to allow non-organ builders with an interest in organs to attend meetings.

The formation of this professional body has, without doubt, been and advantage not only to the individuals concerned, but to the Craft and our clients generally. The professional status of members of the Society has its obligations and a maintenance of a code of professional conduct is an important factor.

The development of our Society along the above lines is our prime objective, and to achieve this end, by mutual help and interest, meetings are held throughout the country, at which lectures are given on appropriate subjects of interest, visits are made to see and hear the latest developments in organ building, followed by discussions, and generally that all should contribute in every manner possible for the well-being of the Society and the furtherance of its great objects.

Membership of the Society should inspire confidence in the Client that they have chosen well and can look forward to a satisfactory outcome.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Furniture History Society is an international organisation concerned with the study of furniture and furnishings, especially their historical development and use.

The Society also publishes an annual journal 'Furniture History', a quarterly newsletter, and organises visits, tours and lectures. Membership includes most major museums, universities and conservation organisations, in addition to individual members.

The Furniture History Society has more than one thousand members throughout the world. Many distinguished scholars are members of the Society and contribute to the Society's publications and are actively involved in its events.

The Society's membership includes numerous museums, libraries and other institutions as well as curators, conservators, lecturers, dealers, auctioneers, architects, designers, collectors and lovers of furniture enthusiasts. Members receive the regular publications of the Society and are entitled to attend its lectures or symposia which are held throughout the year as well as to participate in special visits, study weekends, and tours.

Benefits of Membership

- Annual Journal Furniture History
- Quarterly Newsletter with free online access to the historic archive
- Annual lecture on a topic of contemporary scholarly interest
- Annual symposium given by a range of speakers on a chosen theme
- Access to a comprehensive events programme to a wide range of institutions, private collections and places of interest including study weekends and overseas tours
- Free access to programme of online lectures and recordings of previous lectures
- Voting rights on the Society's business and its elections
- Occasional discounts on publications, and exhibitions of special interest

Please note that any member (regardless of age) in the first five years of their career (i.e. junior museum/heritage curators and conservators, MA/PhD students and young professionals in the trade), is eligible to join our Early Career Development (ECD) group. For more information on this group, please click here.

Note the membership year commences on 1st July and runs to 30th June. Those joining between 1st April and 30th June will be deemed to have joined for the following subscription year and receive the benefits of membership for up to three months at no cost.

The Gardens Trust is the only UK national charity dedicated to protecting and conserving our heritage of designed landscapes. It campaigns on their behalf, undertakes research and conservation work, and encourages public appreciation and involvement.

Through the national network of County and Country Garden Trusts, it has access to people and local expertise throughout the country. The Gardens Trust is also a membership organisation which relies on members and donors to support its work.

The Gardens Trust was formed by the merger of the Association of Gardens Trusts (AGT) and the Garden History Society (GHS) in July 2015.

The Gardens Trust was formed by the merger of the Association of Gardens Trusts (AGT) and the Garden History Society (GHS) in July 2015.

Objectives - The work of the Georgian Group is informed by two charitable objectives:

- to save from destruction or disfigurement Georgian buildings, whether individually or as part of a group, monuments, parks and gardens of architectural and historic interest and, where necessary, encourage their appropriate repair or restoration and the protection and improvement of their setting.
- to stimulate public knowledge and appreciation of Georgian architecture and town planning; of Georgian taste as displayed in the applied arts design and craftsmanship, and its influence on later periods.

History

The Georgian Group is an English and Welsh conservation organisation created to campaign for the preservation of historic buildings and planned landscapes of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Founded in 1937 by the journalist Douglas Goldring, (who went on to become the first Honorary Secretary), Robert Byron (the Deputy Chairman) and Lord Derwent (the first Chairman) the Group was originally part of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

The poet and author Sir John Betjeman, the architectural historian Sir John Summerson, the architectural writers James Lees-Milne and Christopher Hussey, the architect Albert Richardson, the 6th Earl of Rosse (active in the National Trust) and the urban planner Trystan Edwards were among its most prominent early active members. The Group caught the imagination of the younger generation of the day and both Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh refer to the Group affectionately in their novels. An account of the Group’s early history can be found in Gavin Stamp’s article on the foundation of the Group in the 2012 Georgian Group Journal (Volume XX). Further articles on the history of the Georgian Group can be viewed here:

Charles Hind, ‘Sound and Fury – the Early Days of the Georgian Group’, The Georgian Group Report and Journal, 1986
David McKinstry, ‘The Continuous Present: The Georgian Group and Traditional Craftsmanship, 1937-2017’, Splendour!, 2017
Adam Busiakiewicz, ‘John Betjeman and the Georgian Group: The Early Years‘, The Georgian, 2018 (1)

Present Day - Since 1971, the Georgian Group has been a national amenity society. We act as a statutory consultee in the planning process in England and Wales, when consideration is being given to proposals to alter or demolish listed buildings dating, in whole or in part, from between 1700 and 1840.

We aim to protect historic buildings through providing advice to owners and architects, campaigning, and through our role as statutory consultees in the planning system. Our annual awards promote excellence in design and conservation. In its casework, the Georgian Group advises councils, church bodies, and others on threats to the historic fabric and setting of structures built between 1700 and 1837.

The Group organises lectures and other events aimed at improving the understanding of aspects of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century built heritage. We also produce technical advice leaflets, and promote the publication of academic research through our journal.

We have a small grants scheme for historic buildings, the Cleary Fund which is distributed annually in September.

Areas of Interest

- Listed Building applications for works of alteration and demolition for buildings of all kinds containing fabric and fittings which date from between 1700 and 1837.
- Applications for works significantly affecting the setting of buildings or structures constructed between 1700 and 1837 or those affecting the character of those parts of our historic environment with a primarily Georgian character.
- The care and preservation of Georgian buildings.
- Promoting good design in the setting of the Georgian built environment and Georgian parks and gardens.
- Promoting a better understanding of eighteenth and early nineteenth century architecture and designed landscapes.

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.

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.

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 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…