Attingham Estate Safeguarded by the National Trust

The Attingham estate, near Shrewsbury, has been declared inalienable by the conservation charity’s Board of Trustees which means the Trust can never sell, give away or mortgage the land.

It is the biggest declaration of its kind announced by the National Trust in the region for at least 10 years.

Whilst the parkland surrounding Attingham Hall was declared inalienable in 1954, vast parts of the estate were not afforded this protection due to the financial situation of the estate.

The decision to safeguard the remainder of the estate comes due to the much improved financial position of the property, compared to when the charity took ownership more than 60 years ago, as well as recognition of the importance of the estate as a whole. The National Trust is the only charity in England with the legal authority to protect land in this way. These special powers were given to the organisation in the National Trust Act 1907.

Mark Agnew, General Manager for Attingham, said: “The future of this thriving visitor attraction and vital safe green space for the local Shropshire community has been secured. This means that after 60 years of work by the Trust that the vast majority of this 4,000 acre estate, with the hall and park at its heart, has been safeguarded for future generations.”

Today, the surrounding estate is important for nature conservation, archaeology (including part of Roman Wroxeter and a Second World War airfield), public access and demonstrating environmentally sustainable farming.

The estate also encompasses an area of great natural beauty alongside the confluence of the rivers Severn and the Tern with views over the Shropshire Hills. It provides a place of peace and tranquillity, a safe haven and green community space between the continuously developing towns of Shrewsbury and Telford. The wider estate protects and supports the parkland heart of the property.

In conjunction with its tenants, the National Trust is improving hedges, river corridors, ponds, veteran trees and wet woodland across the landscape. They also work with the local authority, Natural England and English Heritage to improve conservation and public access on the wider estate.

Peter Nixon Director of Conservation for the National Trust commented: “The significance of Attingham resides in far more than solely the house and park, important though they are.

“The Trust’s vision is to maintain and develop the intimate interdependence between the many historic and contemporary significances of this vibrant working estate. We will focus increasingly on local engagement so that Attingham is seen as the heart of its wide communities of interests, generating ever increasing public benefit and support.

“Landscape scale management is key to this in every respect - historically, aesthetically, environmentally, socially and not least financially. The permanence of such management which inalienability makes possible justified declaration of nearly the whole of the remaining estate.”

For further information on Attingham Park please visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/attinghampark