What is The Attingham Trust?

The Attingham Trust is an educational charitable trust. It offers specialised study courses for those who are professionally engaged in the study, care and interpretation of historic houses and palaces and their collections and garden and landscape settings, whether they work in the museum, university, historic house, or conservation sector.

Who set it up?

The first Attingham Summer School was set up in 1952 to offer American curators the opportunity to become acquainted with the realities and complexities of British country houses. The Summer School’s founders were Helen Lowenthal, founder of the Education Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Sir George Trevelyan, a pioneer of the adult education movement and Warden of Attingham Park, Shropshire. Since then, the Summer School has expanded its reach to incorporate heritage professionals from around the world and its alumni base has expanded internationally.

Is there still an American connection?

Attingham works in close collaboration with the American Friends of Attingham, which was established in New York in 1962. The American Friends of Attingham have their own website: www.americanfriendsofattingham.org

Why the name?

Founded in 1952 as The Attingham Summer School Trust, it was named after the great neo-classical house in Shropshire in which the Summer School was first held.

Does the Trust operate on its own?

The Trust is a self-supporting organisation with its own boards in Britain and the United States. It collaborates with a number of heritage institutions and museums, including the National Trust, English Heritage, Historic England, the Royal Collection Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Members of the staff of these organisations customarily attend the courses and are involved in teaching.