National Trust for Scotland

The National Trust for Scotland is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy". The Trust owns and manages around 130 properties and of land, including castles, ancient small dwellings, historic sites, gardens, coastline, mountains and countryside. It is similar in function to the National Trust, which covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and to other national trusts worldwide. History The Trust was established in 1931 as the "National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty", following discussions held in the smoking room of Pollok House (now a Trust property). The Trust was incorporated on 1 May 1931, with John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl being elected as its first president, Sir Iain Colqhoun serving as the first chairman. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, owner of Pollok House, was appointed as a vice-president, and provided the trust with its first property, Crookston Castle. Another early acquisition was Glen Coe, which was purchased with assistance from the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1935. In 1935, following the passage of the National Trust for Scotland Order Confirmation Act 1935, the Trust gained the power to declare its properties "inalienable", meaning that they are effectively held in perpetuity, and can only be removed from the Trust with parliamentary permission.