13th April 1937

The National Trust for Jersey is formed

The National Trust for Jersey held its first formal meeting on 3 August 1936 with Samuel Falle, the Dean of Jersey, in the chair. However, it was incorporated by a law passed the following year, on 11 February, which took until 13 April to be confirmed by Order of Council, thus marking the Trust’s existence official.

The Trust is a charitable organisation that looks after many of Jersey’s historic sites and areas of natural beauty, protecting them from development for everyone’s benefit. The Act of Incorporation granted by the States declares that “the Trust shall be established for the purposes of securing the permanent preservation for the benefit of the island of lands and tenements (including buildings) of beauty or historic interest, and as regards lands, for the preservation (so far as practicable) of their natural aspect, features and plant life.”

A significant land owner

Thus, it has now more than 170 sites on its books and manages more than 2% of Jersey’s overall landmass, including the Jersey Wetland Centre at St Ouen, Hamptonne Country Life Museum in St Lawrence and Catel Fort. This makes it the biggest single landowner on the island, despite which it employs fewer than 20 people, and not all of them are full time.

The Trust’s first site was Vallee des Vaux, which it received as a gift from Mr and Mrs Le Gallais in 1937. Hamptonne is managed by Jersey Heritage, which also looks after Mont Orgueil Castle and Elizabeth Castle.