Behind the scenes at Alfriston Clergy House, the first ever National Trust house

Go behind the scenes at the house that started it all. Alfriston Clergy House, in East Sussex, was barely standing and in need of urgent restoration when Octavia Hill, co-founder of the National Trust, came to see it in 1896. So struck was she by the ‘pleading voice of the old building, wanting to be left to tell its story to the days that are to come’, that she encouraged the newly-formed charity to buy the house and save it from ruin. Now, 125 years later, we’re still carrying out that mission.

The house was bought for £10, roughly £800 in today’s money, but upon appointing herself Project Manager for the renovation, Octavia soon realised the medieval thatched property needed £350 of work to save it for future generations. This equates to approximately £28,000 today, a vast sum of money in Victorian Britain, and so the National Trust’s first ever fundraising campaign was initiated to raise the required funds.

Without the successful refurbishment of this historic building, it’s possible the National Trust would never have bought another house. Octavia’s passion for saving Alfriston Clergy paved the way for hundreds more historical places to be conserved for everyone to enjoy. In this film, discover how that 125-year journey began. You can also head to the National Trust website to plan your own visit to see the house that started it all.

We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever.

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