About The Country Houses Foundation
Country Houses Foundation is an independent charity which gives critical grants to help preserve historic country houses, gardens and works of art across England and Wales.
The importance of country houses
Historic country houses convey a vital sense of place and beauty, enhancing well-being and promoting education and understanding of Britain’s heritage.
Many have played a significant role in national and regional history and continue to inspire new generations and new audiences. However, many responsible charitable and individual owners are simply unable to cover all the costs of works on complex historic buildings.
Our importance
The Country Houses Foundation is an independent, registered charity, admired for being efficient and nimble, and governed by an experienced Board of Trustees. We play a key role in securing the future of Britain’s historic country houses by providing grant funding for repair and conservation where it is most urgently needed, prioritising places by their national heritage significance and the contribution they make to rural life. Our grants support a wide variety of work, from repairing castle roofs to the rescue of follies, historic gateways, garden terraces, stable yards and glasshouses.
Our grants are available to charitable foundations, local authorities and private owners and are linked to public access to increase understanding and enjoyment of Britain’s extraordinarily varied built heritage. We also encourage the training of new master craftspeople to ensure heritage building skills are transferred to younger generations.
Our Impact
In the past 17 years, the Foundation has given nearly £18.7 million to 373 projects all over England and Wales, bringing significant benefits to our communities.
Owners benefit from our Trustees experience as well as financial support and we promote new, sustainable uses of heritage buildings improve their future resilience. Our grants help visitors enjoy inspiring environments, contributing to health and wellbeing, and sharing the skills of past generations of architects, engineers and craftspeople.
Country houses open to the public are often some of the largest rural employers, key to the local economy, while the national tourism economy is heavily dependent on the appeal of Britain’s heritage.
Our History
The Country Houses Foundation was set up in 2005 (changing its name from the Historic Houses Foundation in 2026). Its origins lie with the Country Houses Association (CHA), an industrial and provident society formed in 1955 to preserve a group of important country houses for the benefit of the nation.
Between 1955 and 2004, the CHA acquired and restored nine large country houses. They were converted into retirement apartments; the rental income paid for repairs and all were open to the public.
When the CHA was restructured in 2004 and the properties were sold, funds were donated to the Country Houses Foundation to ensure that the work of preserving historic buildings for public benefit continues.
Our Trustees
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Nicholas Barber CBE
TRUSTEE
Nicholas Barber’s career was in the shipping business, becoming Chief Executive of Ocean Group. He has been a trustee of the British Museum and Chairman of the Ashmolean. He is a Foundation Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford. He was Chairman of Classics for All, now Hon. President. -
Dr Amy Boyington
TRUSTEE
Dr Amy Boyington is a historian, author and broadcaster specialising in architectural and country house history. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has worked with English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces, the National Trust, Holkham Hall, Goodwood House and Woburn Abbey.
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Richard Compton
TRUSTEE
After a career in magazine publishing, Richard Compton was President (2008-2012) of Historic Houses and Chairman of the Heritage Conservation Trust in 2017. He has lived at Newby Hall & Gardens in North Yorkshire since 1999 where he is Chairman & CEO of the award-winning tourism business. -
Norman Hudson OBE
TRUSTEE
Norman Hudson was a founding Trustee of the Country Houses Foundation and Chairman from 2010-2025. He has a background in estate management, specialising in matters associated with historic houses and the opening of them to the public. For over 30 years he was an adviser to the Historic Houses Association (now Historic Houses). He has been a member of the National Trust Council, the British Tourism & Development Committee, and Chairman of Sulgrave Manor Trust. For 20 years he published Hudson’s Historic House & Gardens – a near-definitive guide to heritage property in Britain open to the public. He received an OBE for services to the heritage tourism industry.
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Andrew Jardine
TRUSTEE
Andrew Jardine is a Chartered Surveyor with a previous career in international investment management. He has managed a number of landed estates in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and was Fellow and Bursar of Worcester College, Oxford; the common denominator has been responsibility for a number of nationally-important historic buildings. He has over 30 years’ experience in the management of a variety of charities.
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Mary King
TRUSTEE
Mary King is a town planner based in Shropshire. She has been Head of Conservation for Liverpool City Council, Conservation Director for English Heritage, a Director of the Institute of Building Conservation, Chairman of the Shropshire Gardens Trust and a trustee of the Heritage Alliance.
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Jane Jones-Warner
TRUSTEE
Jane Jones-Warner is a conservation accredited architect who has worked her entire career with wonderful historic buildings of varying stature and scale. Jane retired from her Sussex based architectural practice handing it down to junior partners in 2023. She is currently working with the Churches Conservation Trust, is a trustee at the Weald and Downland Living Museum and advises the heritage and crafts committee for the Radcliffe Trust.
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Jeremy Musson
CHAIRMAN
Jeremy Musson is an architectural historian, author and broadcaster. He was architectural editor of Country Life and has worked on conservation management plans for some of the most important buildings in the country. He is a regular lecturer, tutor and contributor to conference and panel discussions in the UK and USA.
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Sir John Parsons KCVO
TRUSTEE
Sir John Parsons is an accountant who was a director of big four accounting firm, KPMG. He was Deputy Treasurer to HM Queen Elizabeth II, Deputy Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer of Peterborough Cathedral.
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Oliver Pearcey
TRUSTEE
Oliver Pearcey worked for the Department of the Environment, then English Heritage for 21 years, latterly as Director of Conservation. He is a freelance historic environment consultant, and also has intensive involvement in the charitable sector and is a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
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Matthew Rice
TRUSTEE
Matthew Rice is an artist, illustrator and author known for his watercolours and writing on architecture. His work has appeared in Country Life and in his books exploring overlooked buildings, places and details across Britain, Italy and beyond.
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Amicia de Moubray
TRUSTEE
Amicia de Moubray is a journalist specialising in architecture, design and heritage, with work published in Country Life, The Sunday Telegraph and The World of Interiors. She is an author and editor, and a trustee of Bart’s Heritage Trust and Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Our Staff
Martin Wills
DIRECTOR
Martin, who is based in his native Yorkshire, has worked for over a decade in the world of heritage and museums. Formerly Development Manager at Historic Towns Trust, Martin has worked with Historic England, the Science Museum Group, the Ripon Museum Trust, the Calderdale Industrial Museum Association, Royal Armouries, the Craven Museum & Galleries, and UNESCO. He has an extensive background in the world of historic buildings, fundraising, project management and grant distribution.
Martin holds a degree in Ancient History from the University of Exeter and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester. He is a fellow of the Arts Council’s Museum Resilience and Leadership programme and holds a PMQ from the Association of Project Managers.
Download our Annual Report
“We feel indebted to The Country Houses Foundation for their experience, passion and dedication for saving heritage and giving custodians like ourselves the confidence to care for it.”
— Nick Ashley-Cooper, The Earl of Shaftesbury, St Giles House, Dorset —