Appeal launched to save Warder's Tower

4 July 2008

Warder's Tower is a picturesque but derelict tower built in 1828 as a gamekeeper's cottage. It is set in a beautiful country park in Staffordshire but unless something is done soon, it won't survive and there are no local funds to save it. We have launched an appeal to rescue this building, please show your support with a donation if you can.

Read more about the Warder's Tower story and find out how to donate.

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Heritage Lottery Fund pledges support for Astley Castle

25 June 2008

Astley Castle in Warwickshire is one step closer to being saved following the news that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given a pledge of support for a grant of £1.47million.  The pledge is stage one of a two stage process and plans for the project are being developed further by Landmark and it is hoped that confirmation of a grant from the HLF will be announced in Spring 2009.

Click here to read further details.

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Silverton Park Stables opens

13 June 2008

Landmark acquired Silverton Park Stables over 20 years ago and for the past few years our specialist team has been working on site to restore the structure and give it a new future as an inspiring place to stay. Now complete, Silverton Park Stables is available for long or short breaks and can accommodate up to 14 people.

Please contact the Booking Office for details.

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Palladio's 500th anniversary celebrations

11 June 2008

Andrea Palladio was one of the greatest Italian architects of the Renaissance, and certainly the most influential. 2008 is the 500th anniversary of his birth and to celebrate Landmark is liaising closely with Centro Internazionale di Studi di Archittetura di Andrea to offer a variety of special events and extended opportunities for visiting Villa Saraceno in Finale, Vicenza. 

Click here for more information about the special celebrations and a detailed history of Villa Saraceno.

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Spring Raffle raises over £100,000

15 May 2008

The Spring Raffle 2008 has been our most successful yet and we have raised over £100,000 for the first time. Thank you very much to everyone who took part, together you have raised £103,000 to help us rescue more buildings in need.

Here are this year's lucky winners – Spring Raffle 2008 Winners List.

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Good news about Gift Aid

19 March 2008

In the recent Budget the Chancellor announced that, following the lowering of basic rate income tax from 6 April 2008, charities will now receive transitional relief on Gift Aid claims for the next three years, which means that Landmark can continue to claim 28p on every £1 of Gift  Aided donations until 5 April 2011.  This is very welcome news.

Higher-rate taxpayers will also benefit from this tax change; from 6 April 2008 the net cost of a £1,000 gift will reduce to £750 from £769, while its value to Landmark will be £1,282.  The article on page 8 of the Spring 2008 newsletter (attached below) went to print before this announcement was made.

It is therefore even more important that all eligible UK taxpayers Gift Aid their donations, a valuable source of income for  the Landmark Trust.  To make a Gift Aid declaration please download this form, or telephone the Development Office on 01628 925920.

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Landmark News - Spring 2008 newsletter

19 March 2008

Spring Newsletter [1mb]

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download it free by clicking get Adobe Acrobat below.

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Guardians of Cowside launched

5 March 2008

For a donation of £6,000 you can become a Guardian of Cowside and play a critical role in the rescue and restoration of this late seventeenth-century farmhouse within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. In return for your vital support, you will receive a variety of benefits enabling you to become closely involved in Cowside's conservation while helping to ensure that the building has a future.

Thanks to supporters large and small, our appeal for Cowside has to date raised almost £200,000, a third of the total funds needed. The new Guardians of Cowside scheme is designed to provide those with a passion for seeing this building saved a way to follow the project both before and during the restoration phases, while helping Landmark to move closer to the £600,000 appeal target.

For more information about the scheme or to become a Guardian of Cowside, please download the pdf below.

 Guardians of Cowside [603KB]

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download it free by clicking get Adobe Acrobat below.

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Topping out ceremony at Clavell Tower, Dorset

29 February 2008

On Monday 25 February, we celebrated the topping out ceremony at Clavell Tower, when the final stone was placed on the newly rebuilt tower by Peter Pearce, Director of the Landmark Trust and Adrian Tinniswood of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Landmark started to dismantle the historic folly in September 2006 and has since rebuilt it 25 metres back from the eroding cliff edge. The project will be completed later this year following further building work and the fitting out of the interior.

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186th Landmark opens its doors

 4 February 2008

Stoker's Cottage, Stretham near Cambridge, opened its doors to its first visitors on Friday 1 February. The cosy cottage was built in 1840 as a toll house and then became the home of the stoker who kept the huge boilers of the Stretham Old Engine stoked with coal. Following its recent refurbishment, funded by a generous major donor, it is now available to stay in for up to two people.

Please contact the Booking Office for details.

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New - making donations online

18 January 2008

Our website now allows you to make donations online. This means in addition to the more traditional methods of giving, you can now support Landmark and our current appeals quickly and securely online. Click the button below to make a donation.

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Win a stay in a Landmark

16 January 2008

The Landmark Trust Spring Raffle 2008 is the opportunity for you to win the Landmark break you have always dreamed of, while raising vital funds to save endangered historic buildings. First Prize is £3,000 to spend on your choice of Landmarks.

For more details please click here.

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A Coalbrookdale stove needed for
Warden Abbey

16 January 2008

Landmark wants to put a stove into Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire, as after many years of trying, we have been unable to stop the open fire from smoking. However, we are having trouble sourcing the particular stove we need as it is no longer in production.

We are looking for a model called The Darby by Coalbrookdale because it is one of the biggest stoves and extremely efficient in heating up large rooms. We have used this stove in many Landmarks such as Saddell Castle, Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Calverley Old Hall, West Yorkshire and Silverton Park Stables, Devon. So far we have had no success in finding one for Warden Abbey. If you could help please contact Trisha Pottinger on 01628 825920 or email tpottinger@landmarktrust.org.uk.

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2008 Open Days

4 January 2008

We are pleased to announce the 2008 Open Days programme, which includes Freston Tower, Suffolk, Anderton House, Devon and Princelet Street, London. To view the programme please visit the Open Days page.

Please contact the Booking Office for details.

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A festive break in a Landmark

19 November 2007

With Christmas and the New Year just around the corner, we still have some availability in selected Landmarks. Why not enjoy your festivities around a roaring fire in the dramatic location of Fort Clonque in the Channel Islands, or celebrate Hogmanay at Gargunnock House in Central Scotland.

Contact the Booking Office or visit our availablity page to find out which buildings are still available for your festive break.

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Glenmalloch Lodge now open

1 November 2007

The restoration of Glenmalloch Lodge, Dumfries and Galloway, is complete and is now available for up to 2 people. The setting as well as its picturesque architecture, will make this building a special place to stay.

Please contact the Booking Office for details.

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Landmark News - Autumn 2007 Newsletter

16 October 2007

Autumn Newsletter [1mb]

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download it free by clicking get Adobe Acrobat below.

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Emergency appeal launched for Lundy

29 August 2007

£250,000 needs to be raised urgently for repairs to Lundy's only access road. The condition of the road has deteriorated dramatically due to extreme weather and increasing rainfall and repairs are now critical. Lundy General Manager, Derek Green said; "We urgently need to raise the funds to strengthen the parts of the road most at risk and ensure Lundy's unique environment can remain accessible to all who want to experience it. Please help by making a donation".

Click here for further information or to donate online.

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Saving Astley Castle

13 July 2007

This week we are unveiling our plans for saving one of the most important buildings in North Warwickshire, Astley Castle, Astley, near Nuneaton.  The castle which dates back to the 1200s is a nationally significant building but is in a severe state of disrepair.

An exhibition detailing the Landmark Trust's innovative plans for restoring Astley Castle will be on show over the next few weeks to gather feedback from local people. The exhibition will take place in the Astley Reading Room, Astley from 14 to 22 July and then move to Nuneaton Library until 17 August. On 14 and 15 July staff from the Landmark Trust will be available in the Astley Reading Room between 10am and 4pm to discuss the project.

We welcome your views on any aspect of our plans and it will be very helpful to know your opinion by emailing astleycastle@landmarktrust.org.uk or by completing the questionnaire.

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Help us save Cowside

29 May 2007

We have launched a £600,000 appeal to restore Cowside, a neglected farmstead at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Cowside is rare as a remarkably complete and unaltered example of a late seventeenth-century Yorkshire farmstead.  Abandoned for over 50 years and now derelict and deteriorating rapidly, Landmark is appealing for donations to help us save this building before it is too late.

To find out how to make a donation please visit Supporting Landmark.

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Sir John Smith CH CBE

Sir John Smith

3 April 1923 - 28 February 2007

Founder of the Landmark Trust

Martin Drury, Chairman of the Landmark Trust said,

"Everyone at the Landmark Trust feels a deep sense of loss at the passing of Sir John. He was an inspiration to us all and we are enormously proud to work for the organisation he created. His sublimely simple formula for breathing new life into historic buildings is a precious legacy to the nation and will enrich the lives of all who care for our built heritage for years to come."

Obituaries can be viewed using the following links:
The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph and
The Times.

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The Landmark Trust 2007 Raffle

19 April 2007

Thank you very much to everyone who took part in the Landmark Trust 2007 Raffle - a list of winning tickets is available here. We are delighted to announce that we have raised over £83,000 which will be put towards the restoration of buildings at risk. 

Keeper's Cottage Opens

22 March 2007

We are delighted to announce that after starting the restoration of Keeper's Cottage in Feburary 2006,
it is now complete.  To celebrate, we held a public open day on the 24 March. The building is now available for up to 4 people and the first guests will be staying in the building from 26 March 2007.

Please contact the Booking Office for details.

Time Team Special:

Augustus Pugin - God of Gothic

13 March 2007

Channel 4 presented a Time Team Special about Augustus Pugin on Thursday 1 March. In collaboration with the Landmark Trust, the series producers followed our restoration of The Grange in Ramsgate, the house Pugin built for himself and his family, which was completed last year. The programme also visited several other Pugin buildings and demonstrates how influential his ideas still are today.