## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
**(A company limited by guarantee)**
**Company No. 02851718 Charity Registered No. 1026921**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
The Granary Hones Yard Waverley Lane Farnham Surrey GU9 8BB
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**CONTENTS**|**PAGES**|
|---|---|
|Chair’s Report|**1 to 2**|
|Report of the Trustees|**3 to 10**|
|Independent auditor’s report to the members|**11 to 14**|
|Statement of Financial Activities|**15**|
|Balance sheet|**16**|
|Cash flow statement|**17**|
|Notes to the financial statements|**18 to 28**|
## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
Chawton House is an extraordinary place with an extraordinary history. It was the home of Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen Knight, well known to Jane Austen herself who lived a short walk from our front gate in the bailiff’s house, itself part of the Chawton estate until the mid-20th century. The Great House, as it was known to the Austen and Knight families, remains in the Knight family after nearly 500 years of unbroken succession. It is now looked after by a charitable company founded nearly 25 years ago to preserve the house and grounds for the benefit of the public and to be a research library for the study of writing by women 1600-1830, enabled through the vision, commitment and generosity of Dr Sandy Lerner OBE, and the Bosack Kruger Foundation. The Knight family lends their collection of library books, paintings and furniture. Chawton House provides a place of rich cultural heritage and is part of any pilgrimage to Jane Austen’s Hampshire for visitors, scholars, our local community and to audiences across the world. Our library and research holdings received a significant expansion this year, notably through the generosity, prior to her sad death, of Deirdre le Faye. Her gift to us of her archive, books and papers will constitute a third important library collection in support of our aims and mission.
Chawton House has undergone significant transformation in the last 4 years, widening access, activity and impact. It has also established business and working models that allow it to generate more of its own income. In 2017 14% of revenues were achieved through self-generated income, and by 2019 that had increased to 60%. Visitor numbers had increased from under 1,000 to 20,000 over the same period. The challenges brought by the pandemic from March 2020 to an enterprise that was reliant on visitors cannot be understated. It is a source of deep admiration of those involved – staff, volunteers, and supporters - that reach and impact have actually increased during 2020. In economic terms, every opportunity was taken to establish alternative revenues, with notable success. This has been achieved because of the strength and competence of the transformation years before 2020, and through the tireless, imaginative and agile response of the Chawton House team to truly testing conditions. Due to public health restrictions, the House was closed for 8 out of 12 months, and all planned activity for 2020 had to be reimagined, postponed or cancelled. Chawton House took every possible opportunity to share an alternative programme, exploiting more than ever the gardens and grounds – including outdoor cinema and fairs when permitted. The pandemic pivot of which we are most proud was the establishment and development of an online presence and programme, from a near standing start. There were more than 66,000 online visits including events, lectures, virtual tours. Chawton House was nominated for a Museums and Heritage Award specifically for its response to the pandemic. The Chair’s Report of 2019 characterised that year as one of sustained, effective and expanded operations from the collegiate and dynamic staff team who delivered exceptional results. It is no exaggeration to report for 2020 that the team has far exceeded that description.
In early March 2020 the House re-opened with new interpretation throughout. The visitor’s journey now traces the history of the house and family through the ground floor, through the Tapestry Gallery on the first floor where portraits of the House and maps, alongside the Rocque map of London, are an exploration of place. The exhibition rooms followed, the year’s main event being _Man Up! Women who Stepped into a Man’s World_ , and on to the Oak Room and Long Gallery, where the portraits of our significant women of the Long 18th Century are now shown grouped in relation to each other, and are an elegant transition towards our two reading rooms. The Upper Reading Room is reserved for scholars, the Lower Reading Room is accessible to all, and is the location for our second annual collectionsrelated exhibition. The Long Gallery is also now the location for temporary displays that can be developed quickly. As for outdoors, a comprehensive plan for the gardens and grounds had been made, and we were poised to implement our project, funded by a large number of generous North American donors; to replace and expand seating throughout the private grounds, despite the set-backs caused by a number of storms early in the year, and to make to the historically significant Dyer’s Barn a new, accessible space for our events and for hire.
Once lockdown was announced the team began working remotely, and in a short space of time adapted and advanced again, with planned endeavours directly measured against our two lead charitable objectives, and with highly disciplined and effective business and contingency planning. If our usual audiences could not physically come to us, then we would bring our work to them. There was rapid development of online content, leading a large online programme: the three-day Lockdown Literary Festival featuring 31 talks, live Q&As, writing workshops, mass poetry writing, readings and interviews and a Virtual Garden Festival, with over 20,000 visits made to the festivals’ content alone. The _Man Up!_ Exhibition was digitised and the Chawton House Reading Group and the shop moved online. Tea Room operations switched into deliveries – establishing wider local links and increasing our awareness of how
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## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
Chawton House can contribute beyond our gates, and onsite catering moved out of doors. Over 400 Afternoon Tea boxes were delivered to addresses in East Hampshire during the first lockdown alone, a project that continued to connect us throughout the remainder of the year to local towns and villages. The public footpaths across the estate have a new focus to the part they play in what we can offer, and the gardens and grounds came into their own as a place for recreation, providing necessary and popular public benefit, and unlocking the revenue opportunities for the charity. The programme of literary and other talks was expanded, and the benefits of online engagement became more fully realised. As restrictions eased, some regular events and fairs could resume. Gothic month and the Christmas season ran onsite and online, exploiting the gardens with a spooky Halloween trail and an ethereal Christmas lights walk. _The Female Spectator_ , Chawton House’s own journal, relaunched this year, including scholarship, history, literature and news, and a new Chawton House podcast began. With some furloughing unavoidable, this impressive endeavour contributing strong ongoing income resources has been carried out by a very small team, working mainly remotely. It was a very good year for acquisitions, the crowning glory being the return home to Chawton House of the Knight family’s copy of William Cowper’s _Poems_ and _The Task_ , books that it is highly likely Jane Austen read during her visits to her brother’s Godmersham Park estate.
All literary and historic houses faced challenges akin to existential threat. We thank our loyal and generous supporters: more than £35,000 was donated in response to our Emergency Appeal launched as soon as lockdown began, and our North American Friends’ support was as ever invaluable and generous, and we also thank the Ardeola Trust for imaginative and valuable support. We are grateful for the South Downs National Park’s grant funding that enabled our outside offers to go forwards with success. Chawton House has achieved its first national level competitive public funding from the Covid Recovery Fund. The pandemic may have slowed part of our mission to full financial self-sufficiency, but it has not changed the direction of travel. The Trustees must credit above all the determination of the team at Chawton House to work through and beyond the difficulties of sustained disruption. The Trustees applaud the team on the practical and financial robustness shown through 2020. Chawton House has done, learned and shared more than could have been imagined at the start of 2020, and the Trustees are confident in continuation of the onward progress for our aims and vision.
**Louise Ansdell**
## **Chairman**
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## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
The Trustees (who are also directors of the charitable company for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006), present their report with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 December 2020.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and the charities Statement of Recommended Practice (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable and in the UK and Republic of Ireland; FRS 102) issued in October 2019.
## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
## **Our Purpose and Activities**
The charitable objects of Chawton House Library are:
- a) To promote study and research into early women’s literature
- b) To protect, restore and preserve Chawton House and the surrounding estate for the benefit of the public
- c) To advance the education of the public by creating and maintaining a working manor farm of the late eighteenth century at the property
Chawton House Library gives particular focus to the first two charitable objects. In 2017 the Trustees resolved not to pursue the third charitable objective within the charitable company’s operations.
## **Achievements and Performance in 2020**
## **Public programme and exhibitions**
The centrepiece of 2020’s public programme was to have been the rehang of the House and the revitalised visitor journey through the building and our collections. The main exhibition, _Man Up! Women Who Stepped into a Man’s World,_ had received its previews and acclaim. Whilst full appreciation of these had to be paused from March, a wholesale review of operations and offer began as lockdown was announced. Within the first month, digital engagement had been transformed, with a 7-week long Rainbows of Hope social media campaign in collaboration with Jane Austen’s House, and the team planned and then delivered a 3-day online literary festival with contributions from over 30 speakers and workshop leaders drawn from our national and international network of distinguished friends, patrons, former Visiting Fellows and collaborators. The outcome of this endeavour, planned and delivered within just 6 weeks, was a major achievement, technically, professionally and in terms of reach, testing our aim of bringing Chawton House to visitors if visitors could not come to us. With over 20,000 visits to 3 days of events, the Lockdown Literary Festival showed us not only what our audiences needed, but what we were capable of providing to them.
A 2-day online Garden Festival followed in June, when the Chawton House Summer Series of online lectures began, ending with a Jane Austen Quiz. We hosted, as we do each year, the Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society this time unavoidably only online, ending on a most celebratory note to mark its 80[th] birthday with special tributes from many Jane Austen societies including numerous European countries, North and South America, India, Pakistan and Australia. The Long Gallery display was “ _All About Emma_ ” : enabling us to show our wide range of _Emma_ editions, including illustrated books, and to reflect on film adaptations. The late summer brought the opportunity for us to return to some more familiar events such as vintage and plant fairs, and we could welcome in-person visitors to the centrepiece exhibition of the year. _Man up!_ included a number of important loans: original manuscript writings of Charlotte and Emily Brontë from the Brontë Parsonage Museum, documents and textiles from the National Aerospace Library, and further loaned objects from Hampshire Record Office and Hampshire Culture Trust. October was set as Gothic month with a programme of literary and popular events, showcasing Chawton House’s imagination in programming across all ages and tastes. With some limited visiting indoors towards the end of the year, the House was expertly dressed for Christmas, and outdoors sparkled with a Christmas Lights trail over the whole festive season. Our in-house journal, _The Female Spectator_ was founded in 1995, and this year saw its relaunch with expanded and varied content alongside its habitual range of scholarly articles.
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**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **Research in 2020**
The Chawton House Collection comprises around 10,000 titles, including a women’s writing collection of historic material, the Knight family library collection, and several collections of reference works relating to women writers. Star items include first editions of Jane Austen’s novels, and several manuscripts, including a play adaptation of Samuel Richardson’s _Sir Charles Grandison_ , copied in Jane Austen’s own hand. This collection is an extraordinary and singular resource enabling vast research opportunities in support of our first charitable object. Online resources include a full catalogue and 80 transcribed novels, some by well-known names, other by anonymous authors. Over the last two decades Chawton House has provided an unparalleled setting for scholarly research into both well-known and undersung heroines of female literary endeavour from, broadly, 1600-1830, with some later specific onward acquisitions through the Brontës to Virginia Woolf. The Upper Reading Room enables up to 8 scholars and readers to undertake their work, on both the primary texts and extensive secondary collection. The Knight Collection comprises 2,800 books and combines the retained works from Godmersham Park’s library and its catalogue, and the library from Chawton House itself. This library collection is kindly lent to us by Richard Knight.
Whilst the physical reading rooms have been largely closed for the year, research and the library have not been fallow. Among the scholarship achievements of the year, Dr Alison Daniell won the 2020 BSECS President’s Prize for her paper ‘Of False Hair, Bolstered Hips and Witchcraft: The Regulation of Women’s Bodies and an Act of Parliament that Never Was’, which was presented to a Chawton House audience as part of this year’s Halloween programme. Alison’s work includes a large focus on the life and legacy of Elizabeth Knight (1674-1737), and also contributed to the _Man Up!_ exhibition.
The relaunch of _The Female Spectator_ occurred in Summer 2020, a digital publication committed to sharing and promoting the research of scholars of women’s writing alongside Chawton House news, in three issues per year. It has featured content from former Executive Director Gillian Dow, former Visiting Fellows, including Tita Chico and Emily Cock, and current early career researchers. The Lockdown Literary Festival also provided an opportunity to blend scholarly and popular content, with talks from prominent scholars. Contributions on women’s writing ranged from a survey of early feminist works and a discussion of female literary societies to an exploration of the role of the publisher John Murray in women’s literary networks, and the introduction of Jane West and Jane Porter alongside Jane Austen to audiences less familiar with ‘the other Janes’. A well-subscribed summer lecture series of fortnightly talks and interviews on Jane Austen ran from June to September 2020, followed by an examination of Austen’s unfinished novel _The Watsons_ to mark Austen’s birthday in December.
The Chawton House reading group, which meets monthly to discuss works by women in the collection, moved online and, as a result, doubled in size to welcome participants in Europe, America and Canada, expanding to two groups, and providing a sense of community through months of lockdown.
One of our volunteers, Martin Caddick, continued his outstanding dedication to a project collating the history of the Knight family, the house and the grounds and writing up house and room guides, building up the charitable company’s internal resources for the benefit of our audiences.
## **Collections conservation, development and acquisitions**
Like most small and medium sized collections organisations, we rely on the generosity of donors and supporters to expand our collection. 2020 has seen our greatest number of acquisitions in recent years, of which two are particularly seminal. We are now the honoured custodians of the late Deidre le Faye’s papers and archive, which she arranged to come to us in the months before her death. Deidre’s contribution to the knowledge and scholarship of Jane Austen and her family is unparalleled, and she will be much missed by us, as she is among all Janeites. She was a long-term champion of Chawton House and it is a privilege that we will be able to continue her lifetime endeavours through this unique acquisition. An annual commemorative lecture has been founded in her honour and in gratitude for her generosity. In December 2020 we were thrilled to “bring home” the Godmersham Park edition of William Cowper’s _Poems_ (1782) and _The Task_ (1785.) As Jane Austen’s favourite poet, according to her brother Henry, and with some evidence that Jane Austen held and read this very copy, this is the most significant of all the Knight family books that had left the collection to have returned. The return was enabled by the generosity of the Friends of National Libraries and the Godmersham Library Lost Sheep Society, to whom we extend sincere thanks and appreciation.
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## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
The Lost Sheep Society further found, acquired and gave to us Louis de Rouvroy’s _Memoirs of Monsieur le Duc de S. Simon, or The Truthful Observer, on the reign of Louis XIV, and on the first periods of the following reign_ (1788). Richard Knight acquired the first edition presentation copy of _A Memoir of Jane Austen_ , J.E. Austen-Leigh (1870) that had been given to Montagu Knight by James Edward Austen Leigh, the author and nephew of Jane Austen, another significant book to have come home to the library where it was first kept. Through the North American Friends of Chawton House, Sandra Clarke continued her generosity, with a Georgian silver cruet set, and donating to NAFCH’s auction her _The Works of Miss Austen. Vol I Sense & Sensibility. Vol II Emma. Vol III. Mansfield Park. Vol V. Pride & Prejudice_ , Jane Austen. (London: Richard Bentley, 1856), first owned by Lady Molesworth of Pencarrow. The successful bidder, Laura Rocklyn, donated these custom-bound editions to our collection.
We were also honoured and pleased to accept from our founder Dr Lerner, through NAFCH, the 14 volume series “Famous Women”, which received its own display during the summer of 2021 in the Long Gallery. Tony Souter gave us a fascinating 18[th] century manuscript recipe book. In September 2020 we signed a 25-year loan agreement with the Jane Austen Society UK for the portrait of Edward Austen Knight as a young gentleman in Rome on his Grand Tour (1789/1790), attributed to Hugh Hamilton, securing the painting in its traditional location of the dining room.
We extend our thanks to the private and institutional donors who made 2020 a stellar year for the collection. The planned flagship collections event of the year, the rehang of the house, had to be kept back until restrictions permitted, however during the closed months, a comprehensive collections review began and made much progress under the stewardship of Chawton House’s first Curator and Collections Manager.
## **Visitor Experience and Relationships, the House, the Gardens and Grounds**
For a great many, a visit to Jane Austen’s Hampshire is the trip of a lifetime, and can be more frequent than that, and whilst we waited for conditions to enable restored levels of access for those who are yet to come, or come back, in person, the year has spot-lit the depth and breadth of the relationships we have with a local and with a digital community of visitors. Our vision for the pursuit of our second charitable object takes the form of being an outward facing, welcoming organisation that shares generously the extraordinary resources – of place, of history, of cultural life – with as many people as possible.
The value of our outdoors, the gardens and grounds increased for our audiences, including new outdoor catering, in surroundings that received expert and consistent care and development. We are gratified that so many more people local to Chawton House have found us, and they have been a consistent, welcome and returning presence throughout the year. Our Garden Manager joined during 2020 and contributed tirelessly to our outdoor offer and to the presentation and management of the extensive resources within her remit. The kitchen gardens were maintained to an excellent standard through the dedication of our garden volunteer team. A spring bulb planting project saw 20,000 bulbs planted in a massive volunteer activity during the autumn. We value highly our relationship with Chawton School, this year enjoying their use of part of the Walled Garden as an outside classroom.
Our catering operation pivoted outdoors and beyond our gates, with afternoon tea-box deliveries in our local area on Mothering Sunday, at Easter, over the Garden Festival weekend, Father’s Day and on the 75[th] anniversary of VE Day. The Tea Shed opened in an adapted shed by the gates, providing for walkers as well as our own visitors, and the South Lawn came into its own whilst the Old Kitchen Tea Room and Courtyard could not provide our usual hospitality venues.
Our relationships within Hampshire continue to thrive, including our natural links with Jane Austen’s House and Gilbert White’s House. East Hampshire District Council, Hampshire County Council and South Downs National Park Authority continued their welcome support and relationships. We participated fully in a pandemic-focussed forum for the heritage and visitor attractions of North East Hampshire. In March we were honoured to receive Visit England’s Hidden Gem Award for the second year running, and then in September TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award ,especially gratifying given the circumstances of 2020.
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## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
Our in person visitor numbers, for the months that we could be open, were 70% of 2019’s levels, which was encouraging. The numbers of online visits exceeded all expectations, and our social media traffic increased exponentially. We sense a well-founded confidence that we are known and seen better and by a wider audience as a result of the dynamic response to the pandemic.
## **People at Chawton House**
At 31 December 2020 there was a team of 20 paid staff, representing 11 FTE. The commitment and dedication of all those involved earns high praise and appreciation, and the warm welcome provided by staff and volunteers is popular with visitors, with many direct and online accolades. Executive and financial leadership of the Chawton House team during the year, a team including some at the very start of their careers, has been exceptional.
The Board of Trustees met monthly from March to July, and thereafter quarterly during the year, with additional individual contributions being made outside of meetings where relevant for individual Trustees’ areas of skill and expertise.
## **Commercial Trading Income**
Trading income from commercial activity inevitably altered during 2020, given the severe restrictions on access and travel. In the circumstances, £137,183 represents positive financial performance ( _2019: £186,766_ ). Due to the conditions created by the pandemic, the unequivocal opportunities for growth in trading income through increased private hire, weddings, expanded opening hours and additional special events were delayed.
## **Donated, grant income and non-commercial trading income**
The reduction in on-site footfall due to the public health restrictions inevitably led to a decline in on-site dontations. Income from these combined sources was £406,174 ( _2019: £472,334)_ . The Stables and Coach House Cottage continue to be let to residential tenants with further revenues from farming tenants.
We received funding from the Ardeola Trust for the first time, which has been continued, with our thanks and gratitude, into 2021. We remain so grateful for the generous support from many individuals across the world. Particular thanks are due to our North American Friends of Chawton House for their consistent and effective fundraising energies. Our applications in each round of the Government’s Covid Recovery Fund have been successful, the first competitive public funding that Chawton House has achieved. East Hampshire District Council and South Downs National Parks Authority support enabled our public facing offer to adapt to pandemic conditions. Grant income in 2020 was £136,882, an increase of 64% _(2019: £83,511)._
## **Financial operations in brief**
Our commercial vision for Chawton House is that it will be capable of meeting the majority of basic running costs from self-generated income. The prodigious efforts and creditable outcome during a year of disrupted operations demonstrated that this remains a realistic aim, on which Chawton House can and should place some reliance. Grant income remains an important part of core funding, and we are grateful for salary support from the Bosack Kruger Foundation (via the University of Southampton) for funding of an academic post. The Trustees approached the uncertain and unpredictable times during 2020 with cautious optimism. There is confidence that Chawton House was and will be able to withstand the challenges to our activities caused by public health restrictions. Diversification of financial operations was achieved rapidly, and effectively, during the year.
## **Public benefit in 2020**
In shaping our objectives for the year and planning the charity’s activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
The Gardens remained open to visitors whenever public health restrictions permitted, and we promoted greater use of the footpaths across our land. This builds on our public benefit through the historic settings bringing to life the context within which our women writers, and Jane Austen herself, lived and worked. Access to the house and grounds enables visitors to benefit from the physical and social legacy of the Knight family’s unbroken links with Chawton House over 500 years and our own collection of books, paintings and works of art.
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## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
The increase in programming of varied events, including the development of popular and diverse online events, together with the provision of socially distanced leisure activities to members of the public has expanded significantly the ways in which we provide public benefit during 2020. The extent to which Chawton House has found a larger local audience during the year, which has remained faithful with visitors returning many times over, helps us to be confident that our public benefit will continue to increase with the return of physical visitors and scholars, as public health restrictions diminish further.
We foster research and understanding of early women writers, restoring them to their rightful place in the history of English literature and enabling them to speak directly to - and inspire - future generations. The Library’s unique collection of women’s writing is accessible to anyone who wishes to use it. Many of the works in the collection were neglected, and the research being undertaken at Chawton House is helping to put these books and their authors back on the intellectual map.
## **Financial review**
The year under review saw income decrease and costs remain tightly managed in line with the financial management plans and constant good financial management. Trustees continue to implement a programme of financially prudent stewardship and re-organisation, together with contingency planning including managing any contingent liabilities that may crystallise.
Financial results for the year are shown on page 15.
## **Reserves policy**
The reserves policy of the charity is to maintain sufficient reserves in order to provide support for the charitable company’s activities. Given the impact of the pandemic on trading activity, some support from reserves was inevitable, however the extent of recourse to those funds has been comparatively limited as a result of the good management and stewardship of income and expenditure.
The charity held free reserves of £159,070 at 31 December 2020 (2019: £293,198). Trustees consider the charity to be operating within the reserves policy.
## **Risk management**
Risk management policies continue to be kept under review.
## **Plans for the Future**
The strategic aim remains to create a widely known and notable literary and heritage destination, with local, national and international appeal. The Charity will continue to exploit and expand opportunities to work collaboratively with the heritage, tourism, academic and educational resources. There has been a transformation of digital reach potential in a short space of time, embedding the international reach of our work. There has also been a marked expansion in local connections. The mutual benefit of these operations will assist to inform and shape future planning.
The Charity’s physical location at the edge of Chawton village provides opportunities to open up the estate further, to accommodate increased visitor numbers whilst preserving the character and attributes of the historic setting and the academic study centre offer. There is also scope to provide further amenities to contribute to the local community.
The Trustees recognise that this will require responsible management of the operation of the charitable company and its finances, positive outcomes to grant and other funding applications in support of the development of a sustainable business model, whilst remaining open to scholars and visitors, where safe to do so. The Trustees’ view is that the charitable company remains in transition period towards this aim, with positive progress to date and a measure of optimism going forwards, tempered by the uncertainties of the conditions created by the pandemic.
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**FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
## **Governing document**
Chawton House Library ("Chawton House") is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Incorporated on 3 September 1993 (registration number 02851718) and registered as a charity on 6 October 1993 (registration number 1026921). Chawton House was formed under a Memorandum of Association that established its objects and powers. It is governed under its Articles of Association by a board whose members are directors for the purposes of company law and Trustees for the purposes of Charity law. The names of the members of the board who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 9. Chawton House Library uses the name 'Chawton House'. New Trustees may be appointed by an ordinary resolution of the charitable company, or by a decision of the board of Trustees. Any Trustee appointed by the board only holds office until the next following Annual General Meeting of the Library, but may then be eligible for re-election. Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 December 2020 was seven.
## **Related parties**
## **Patrons, Friends and Volunteers**
The Trustees remain grateful for the continued advice and support of the Library's patrons:
Dr Sandy Lerner (Founding Patron) The Rt Hon the Earl of Selborne GBE, FRS, DL Dame Mary Fagan DCVO, JP Mr Alan Titchmarsh MBE, VMH, DL Miss Joanna Trollope CBE Mr Nigel Humphreys Professor Michèle Roberts Dr Deirdre Le Faye (to July 2020) Ms Claire Tomalin FRSL Mrs June Parkinson Professor Isobel Grundy Professor Janet Todd OBE Professor Cora Kaplan Mrs Gilly Drummond OBE DL Professor Richard Ovenden
We are pleased to acknowledge the assistance provided by the Friends of Chawton House Library and North American Friends of Chawton House. We are grateful to our volunteer network, in particular this year the garden volunteers. We missed many of our volunteers who had to suspend their invaluable contribution to guiding, interpretation and book conservation which in normal times enables the charitable objectives to be fulfilled and enhanced.
## **Connected organisations**
The Library is connected with two non-profit corporations incorporated in Massachusetts:
- The Leonard X. Bosack and Bette Kruger Charitable Foundation, Inc ("the Foundation")
- North American Friends of Chawton House (“NAFCH”)
Chawton House received direct donations from NAFCH during the year. The Foundation continued to provide secondment support via the University of Southampton for an academic salary. The Trustees are grateful to these bodies for their continuing support of Chawton House and for the advice and assistance provided by the respective Boards and their officers.
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## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
## **Directors and Trustees**
The directors of the charitable company (the Charity) are its Trustees for the purpose of Charity law. The Trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year-end were as follows:
Mrs L Ansdell (Chair) Mr R E B Knight Mr R Bhattacharya Mr S Knight Mrs A McMeehan Roberts Professor K O’Brien (to December 2021) Mrs S Saville **Company Secretary:** Ms K E Childs **Registered Office:** Chawton House Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 1SJ **Company Number:** 02851718 **Charity Registered Number:** 1026921 **Auditors:** TC Group The Courtyard Shoreham Road Upper Beeding Steyning West Sussex BN44 3TN **Solicitors:** Paris Smith LLP Number 1 London Road Southampton SO15 2EA **Bankers:** National Westminster Bank plc 3 London Street Old Market Square Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 7NS
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## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **Trustees’ responsibilities**
The Trustees (who are also directors of Chawton House Library for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the Trustees are aware:
- there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and
- the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
## **Auditors**
TC Group are deemed to be re-appointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies’ exemption.
Approved by order of the board of Trustees on 28 October 2021 and signed on their behalf by:
## **Mrs Louise Ansdell - Trustee**
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## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Chawton House Library (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the related notes numbered 1 to 24. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard _102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland_ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
## In our opinion the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2020 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustee's use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the director with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report
11
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Annual Report. The Trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report, which includes the Directors’ Report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the Directors’ Report included within the Trustees’ Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of Trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement (set out on pages 10), the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
12
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
## **Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud**
The objectives of our audit, in respect to fraud, are: to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses; and to respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the entity and its management.
Our approach was as follows:
- We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general sector experience, and through discussion with the trustees and other management (as required by auditing standards), and discussed with the trustees and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations (see below);
- We identified the following areas as those most likely to have such an effect: health and safety; General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); fraud; bribery and corruption; and employment law. Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any. The identified actual or suspected non-compliance was not sufficiently significant to our audit to result in our response being identified as a key audit matter.
- We considered the legal and regulatory frameworks directly applicable to the financial statements reporting framework (FRS 102, the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011) and the relevant tax compliance regulations in the UK;
- We considered the nature of the charitable company’s operations, the control environment and financial performance.
- We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit;
- We considered the procedures and controls that the charitable company has established to address risks identified, or that otherwise prevent, deter and detect fraud; and how senior management monitors those programmes and controls.
13
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations. Where the risk was considered to be higher, we performed audit procedures to address each identified fraud risk. These procedures included: testing manual journals; reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation; performing analytical procedures; and enquiring of management, and were designed to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements were free from fraud or error.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed noncompliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilties. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Jonathan Aikens ACA DChA (Senior Statutory Auditor)**
## **For and on behalf of TC Group**
Statutory Auditor Office: Sussex
Date: 28 October 2021
TC Group is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
14
## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**Note**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
**£**
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and legacies
**2**
242,482
91,580
Other trading activities
**4**
137,183
-
Investments
**5**
72,112
-
**Total**
451,777
91,580
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
**6**
70,383
3,490
Charitable Activities
**7**
The estate and gardens
107,649
802
Library and academia
225,228
14,200
The property and collection
110,864
44,423
Raising awareness
41,346
-
**Total**
555,470
62,915
Net gains on revaluation of investment
property
14
775,000
-
**Net income/(expenditure)**
671,307
28,665
**Transfers between funds**
20
(908)
908
670,399
29,573
**Net Movement in Funds**
670,399
29,573
**Reconciliation of Funds:**
Total funds brought forward
**7,770,730**
**20,587**
**Total funds carried forward**
**8,441,129**
**50,160**|**2020**
**Total**
**funds**
**£**
**334,062**
**137,183**
**72,112**
**543,357**
**73,873**
**108,451**
**239,428**
**155,287**
**41,346**
**618,385**
**775,000**
**699,972**
**-**
**699,972**
**699,972**
**7,791,317**
**8,491,289**|2019
Total
funds
£
394,159
186,766
78,175|
|---|---|---|
|||659,100|
|||163,399
108,651
208,107
97,475
46,363|
|||623,995|
|||-|
|||35,105
-|
|||35,105|
|||35,105|
|||7,756,212|
|||7,791,317|
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised during the year.
The notes on pages 18 to 28 form an integral part of these financial statements.
15
## **CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st DECEMBER 2020**
|**Note**
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
**14**
Heritage assets
**15**
**Current assets**
Stocks
**16**
Debtors
**17**
Cash at bank and in hand
Total Current Assets
**Liabilities**
Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year
**18**
**Net Current (Liabilities)/Assets**
**Total Assets Less Current Liabilities**
**Net Assets**
**Funds of The Charity:**
**20**
**Restricted Funds**
Unrestricted Funds
Revaluation reserve
**Total unrestricted funds**
**Total Funds**|**2020**
**£**
**5,882,814**
**2,355,181**
**8,237,995**
**14,680**
**21,490**
**273,202**
**309,372**
**(56,078)**
**253,294**
**8,491,289**
**8,491,289**
**50,160**
**7,606,976**
**834,153**
**8,441,129**
**8,491,289**|2019
£
5,146,332
2,355,181|
|---|---|---|
|||7,501,513
11,795
9,434
306,244|
|||327,473
(37,669)|
|||289,804
7,791,317
7,791,317|
|||20,587|
|||7,711,577
59,153|
|||7,770,730|
|||7,791,317|
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 28 October 2021 and are signed on their behalf by
## **Mrs Louise Ansdell**
## **Trustee**
## Company registration number 02851718
The notes on pages 18 to 28 form an integral part of these financial statements.
16
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
**Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow from operating activities**
|**Net income/(expenditure)(as per the statement of financial**
**activities)**
**Adjustments for:**
Depreciation charges
Interest from investments
Revaluation of investment property
(Increase)/decrease in stocks
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in Creditors
**Net Cash Inflow/(Outflow) from Operating Activities**
**Cash Flow Statement**
**Cash flows from operating activities:**
**Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities**
**Cash flows from investing activities:**
Interest from investments
Proceeds from the sale of tangible assets
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
**Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities**
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period**
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period**|**2020**
**£**
**699,972**
**43,420**
**(89)**
**(775,000)**
**(2,885)**
**(12,056)**
**18,409**
**(28,229)**
**2020**
**£**
**(28,229)**
**89**
**-**
**(4,902)**
**(4,813)**
**(33,042)**
**306,244**
**273,202**|2019
£
35,105
62,018
(201)
-
(1,729)
4,846
(58,212)|
|---|---|---|
|||41,827|
|||2019
£
41,827|
|||201
-
-|
|||201|
|||42,028
264,216|
|||306,244|
The notes on pages 18 to 28 form an integral part of these financial statements.
17
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **1 Accounting Policies**
## **Basis of Accounting**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)(effective 1 January 2015) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Chawton House Library meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention. The financial statements are presented in sterling which is the functional currency of the charitable company and rounded to the nearest £.
## **Income**
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charitable company has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
## **Expenditure**
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charitable company to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
## **Allocation and apportionment of costs**
Support costs are allocated by charitable activity in proportion to the budgeted costs for each area. Any expenses in connection with the assistance are classified as Volunteers Expenses. The value of the volunteers’ time has not been calculated.
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life as follows:
Plant and machinery - at 20% & 25% on cost Long leasehold property - over life of lease
Long leasehold property is held on a 125 year lease expiring in 2115 with annual rent of a peppercorn.
Investment properties for which fair value can be measured reliably are measured at fair value at each reporting date with changes in fair value recognised in ‘net gains/(losses) on investments in the Statement of Financial Activities’.
18
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **1 Accounting Policies** _**(continued)**_
## **Tangible fixed assets** _**(continued)**_
Annual impairment reviews are carried out on behalf of the Trustees in respect of those assets which are not depreciated. This review involves a comparison of the current carrying amount of the fixed asset with its recoverable amount. Where the recoverable amount is lower than the carrying amount the asset is considered to be impaired and an impairment loss is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities.
The cost of refurbishment of properties owned by the charitable company is capitalised and included within fixed assets where the work represents an addition to the property, or an improvement. The cost of repairs and maintenance are written off as incurred.
## **Heritage assets**
Heritage assets comprise paintings, antiques and books. Painting and antiques are acquired by the charitable company to enhance the setting of the charitable company. Books are acquired to extend the charitable company’s collection of Early Women’s writing. Paintings and antiques are maintained in good condition and are subject to restoration when necessary. Books are maintained securely and at temperatures that aid preservation in good condition, and are subject to an ongoing conservation programme.
All heritage assets are recorded in a database which is reviewed annually and In accordance with the SORP, no depreciation is charged on assets which are considered to have an indefinite useful life. Consequently, no depreciation is provided on paintings and antiques, or books and manuscripts. These items are subject to annual impairment reviews.
Access to paintings and antiques is available to all visitors to Chawton House. Books are accessed by Visiting Fellows and other academics, and to book specialists on written request.
## **Stocks**
Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete and slow moving items.
## **Taxation**
The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
## **Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charitable company.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charitable company which the Trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside for a specific purpose.
Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
## **Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits**
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
19
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **1 Accounting Policies** _**(continued)**_
## **Donations**
Donations are recognised on entitlement. Donations of fixed assets are included in the accounts at values provided by the donor or at market value, if valued within 12 months of the date of the donation. Donated goods and services are included as income at the equivalent market value. An equal cost is also included in the accounts.
## **Going Concern**
Trading and financial operations during 2020 were successful, with performance representing a creditable proportion of sums forecast at a time without the restrictions imposed by UK Government regulations. During 2020 the Charity continued to generate a significant part of its income from its own activities. External funding increased, including the first national level public funding, and this should be seen as external funders’ confidence in the competence and resilience of Chawton House Library. The comparative success of the year can be seen as being able to draw on the positive benefits of financial and operational decisions made in prior years. The Trustees remain unable to conclude the impact, if any, of the contingent liability related to past pensions on the charity’s cashflow.
The suspension of operations resulting from statutory restriction on movement, the prohibitions on access to heritage and library venues and the immediate loss of visitor related income were challenges that the charity met by a rapid diversification of trading operations, within the statutory restrictions, and the swift development of digital programming and appeals for donor funding. The Trustees determine that the reserves policy decisions made previously, the implementation of a restructuring programme, the effectiveness of prior years’ operational plans and the vigour of the diversification of activities developed since March 2020 demonstrate a commercially responsible and effective approach to managing the financial resources of the charity. The charity is fortunate in that it owns substantial assets including leasehold and freehold property and some land. The existence of potential liability for pension funding deficit has been taken into account in the Trustees' evaluation.
The Trustees of Chawton House Library have carefully assessed:
- the positive progress of the programme to stabilise and manage the financial resources of Chawton House Library
- the rapid and effective response to the changed trading conditions created by statutory restrictions related to coronavirus pandemic
- the progress of strategy to create a self-sustaining business model in support of the charitable objectives.
The Trustees have come to the unanimous conclusion that Chawton House Library is a going concern. The Trustees will keep that conclusion under review to ensure that they discharge their responsibilities as Trustees to the full, hence the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements.
## **Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised.
The trustees do not consider that there are any critical estimates or areas of judgement that need to be brought to the attention of the readers of the financial statements.
20
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**2**
**Income from donations and legacies**
Donations and transition funds
NAFCHL donations
Gift aid
Grants received (see note 3 below)
Subscriptions
Admissions|**2020**
**£**
**70,999**
**63,060**
**7,320**
**136,882**
**5,030**
**50,771**
**334,062**|2019
£
107,526
70,563
8,908
83,511
11,616
112,035|
|---|---|---|
|||394,159|
Income from donations and legacies was £334,062 (2019 - £394,159) of which £91,580 (2019 - £21,522) was attributable to restricted and £242,482 (2019 - £372,637) was attributable to unrestricted funds.
|**3**
**Grants received**
Rural Payments Agency – Countryside Stewardship Support
NHLF Covid Recovery Fund
South Downs National Park
Other grants
The Foyle Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
**4**
**Other trading activities**
Shop income
Rent, room hire and related income
Academic, educational and library events|**2020**
**£**
**12,023**
**71,200**
**11,130**
**42,529**
**-**
**-**
**136,882**
**2020**
**£**
**80,528**
**35,550**
**21,105**
**137,183**|2019
**£**
13,511
-
-
-
20,000
50,000|
|---|---|---|
|||83,511|
|||2019
£
138,758
33,732
14,276
186,766|
Income from other trading activities was £137,183 (2019 - £186,766) of which £nil (2019 - £nil) was attributable to restricted and £137,183 (2019 - £186,766) was attributable to unrestricted funds.
|**5**
**Investment income**
Rents received
Deposit account interest|**2020**
**£**
**72,023**
**89**
**72,112**|2019
£
77,974
201
78,175|
|---|---|---|
21
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**6**
**Raising funds**
Costs of sales
Support costs|**2020**
**£**
**40,879**
**32,994**
**£73,873**|2019
£
60,032
103,367|
|---|---|---|
|||163,399|
Expenditure on raising funds was £73,873 (2019 - £163,399) of which £3,490 (2019 - £237) was attributable to restricted and £70,383 (2019 - £163,162) was attributable to unrestricted funds.
|**7**
**Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities**
The estate and gardens
Library and academia
The property and collection
Raising awareness|**Direct**
**costs**
**£**
**93,885**
**188,856**
**138,267**
**24,125**
**445,133**|**Support**
**costs**
**£**
**14,566**
**50,572**
**17,020**
**17,221**
**99,379**|**TOTAL**
**£**
**108,451**
**239,428**
**155,287**
**41,346**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**544,512**|
Expenditure on charitable activities was £544,512 (2019 - £460,596) of which £59,425 (2019 - £15,974) was attributable to restricted and £485,086 (2019 - £444,622) was attributable to unrestricted funds.
|**8**
**Allocation of support**
**costs**
Wages
Social security
Meetings & conferences
Insurance
Utilities
Office expenses
Staff costs
Sundry
Pensions
Governance
Bank charges
**Total**|**Raising**
**funds**
**The estate**
**and**
**gardens**
**Library and**
**academia**
**The property**
**and collection**
**Raising**
**awareness**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
20,470
5,174
20,695
-
7,760
**54,099**
1,108
591
1,182
370
444
**3,695**
142
142
580
296
568
**1,728**
-
-
7,290
-
-
**7,290**
3,958
-
7,017
-
2,225
**13,200**
3,386
2,908
7,339
5,138
1,825
**20,596**
59
361
563
320
-
**1,303**
491
1,452
1,967
5,710
1,418
**11,038**
155
155
155
154
154
**773**
2,827
2,986
2,986
3,039
2,827
**14,665**
398
797
798
1,993
-
**3,986**|
|---|---|
||**32,994**
**14,566**
**50,572**
**17,020**
**17,221**
**132,373**|
The support costs are allocated by charitable activity in proportion to the budgeted cost for each area.
22
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**9**
**Analysis of governance costs**
Trustees’ expenses
Auditor’s remuneration
Legal fees
**Total**
**10**
**Net income/(expenditure) for the year**
**This is stated after charging:**
Depreciation – Owned Assets
Auditor’s Remuneration:
-
Statutory audit
-
Non audit services|**2020**
**£**
**-**
**9,000**
**5,134**
**14,665**
**2020**
**£**
**43,420**
**9,000**
**2,633**|2019
£
-
9,000
10,700
19,700
2019
£
62,018
9,000
2,431|
|---|---|---|
## **11 Trustees’ remuneration and benefits**
None of the Trustees received remuneration or other benefits for services rendered during the year (2019 - £nil).
None of the Trustee’s received reimbursed expenses in 2020 or 2019.
## **12 Analysis of staff costs and emoluments**
|Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
**Staff numbers:**
Average Monthly Number of Contracted Staff|**2020**
**£**
**328,197**
**15,082**
**5,395**
**348,674**
**20**|2019
£
289,021
14,975
8,305|
|---|---|---|
|||312,301|
|||18|
There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000 (2019 - none).
The remuneration of a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (PDRF) was paid directly by the University of Southampton from which institution the PDRF are seconded. During the year the costs borne by the University of Southampton totalled £24,520 (2019 - £26,028).
Volunteers contribute to the charitable company by way of welcoming visitors, acting as tour guides and room stewards, undertaking book conservation and working to maintain the estate.
23
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **13 Corporation taxation**
The charitable company is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
|**14**
**Tangible assets**
**Cost:**
At 1 January 2020
Revaluations
Additions
**At 31 December 2020**
**Depreciation:**
At 1 January 2020
Charge for the year
**At 31 December 2020**
**NET BOOK VALUE:**
**At 31 December 2020**
**At 31 December 2019**
|**Investment**
**property**
**£**
**1,600,000**
**775,000**
**-**
**2,375,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,375,000**
1,600,000|**Long**
**leasehold**
**property**
**£**
**4,598,869**
**-**
**-**
**4,598,869**
**1,066,939**
**36,792**
**1,103,731**
**3,495,138**
3,531,930|**Plant and**
**machinery**
**£**
**181,243**
**-**
**4,902**
**186,145**
**166,841**
**6,628**
**173,469**
**12,676**
14,402
|**Total**
**£**
**6,380,112**
**775,000**
**4,902**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**7,160,014**|
|||||**1,233,780**
**43,420**|
|||||**1,277,200**|
|||||**5,882,814**|
|||||5,146,332|
||||||
The long-leasehold property relates to the depreciated historic cost of the charitable company’s acquisition of Chawton House, which is leased from the family of Mr R. Knight on a peppercorn rent until 2115. Due to the nature of the restrictions within the lease, the Trustees consider the property to have no residual value to the Charity and therefore the long leasehold property is being depreciated in full over the life of the lease.
The investment property relates to freehold property adjacent to Chawton House, which the Charity rents to tenants in order to generate funds for the charitable use. A formal valuation was undertaken on 7 September 2021 by CKS Consulting. The valuation of the investment property was assessed to be £2,375,000.
|**15**
**Heritage assets**
**Cost:**
**At 1 January and 31 December 2020**
**NET BOOK VALUE:**
**At 31 December 2020**
**At 31 December 2019**|**Paintings**
**and**
**antiques**
**£**
**304,582**
**304,582**
304,582|**Books and**
**manuscripts**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**2,050,599**
**2,355,181**
**2,050,599**
**2,355,181**
2,050,599
2,355,181|
|---|---|---|
24
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
|**16**
**Stocks**
Stock for resale
Other stock
**17**
**Debtors**
Trade debtors
Accrued income
Prepayments
**18**
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
**19**
**Deferred income**
At 1 January 2020
Additions during the year
Amounts released to income
**At 31 December 2020**|**2020**
**£**
**13,175**
**1,505**
**14,680**
**2020**
**£**
**1,698**
**15,788**
**4,004**
**21,490**
**2020**
**£**
**17,260**
**6,107**
**32,711**
**56,078**
**2020**
**£**
**4,850**
**2,549**
**(1,690) **
**5,709**|2019
£
10,290
1,505|
|---|---|---|
|||11,795|
|||2019
£
3,033
815
5,586|
|||9,434|
|||2019
£
10,588
7,039
20,042|
|||37,669|
|||2019
£
56,978
4,850
(56,978)|
|||4,850|
Deferred income as at 31 December 2020 comprises advanced income in relation to wedding and rental income in respect of 2021.
25
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **20 Analysis of charitable funds**
**Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds**
|General fund
Designated Capital Fund
Designated Major Repairs
Fund
Designated Bench Fund
Revaluation reserve
General fund
Designated Capital Fund
Designated Major Repairs
Fund
Designated Bench Fund
Revaluation reserve|**Balance 1**
**Jan 2020**
**£**
293,198
7,359,315
15,000
44,064
59,153
**7,770,730**
**Balance 1**
**Jan 2019**
**£**
271,269
7,396,107
15,000
-
59,153
**7,741,529**|**Income**
**£**
451,777
-
-
-
-
**451,777**
**Income**
**£**
593,514
-
-
44,064
-
**637,578**|**Expenditure**
**£**
(512,050)
(43,420)
-
-
-
**(555,470)**
**Expenditure**
**£**
(570,992)
(36,792)
-
-
-
**(607,784)**|**Gains**
**£**
-
-
-
-
775,000|**Transfer**
**£**
(73,885)
87,947
(15,000)
-
-
**(908)**
**Transfer**
**£**
(593)
**-**
-
-
-
**(593)**|**Balance 31**
**Dec 2020**
**£**
159,070
7,403,842
-
44,064
834,153
**8,441,129**
**Balance 31**
**Dec 2020**
**£**
293,198
7,359,315
15,000
44,064
59,153
**7,770,730**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**775,000**|||
|||||**Gains**
**£**
-
-
-
-
-|||
|||||**-**|||
The General Fund represents funds available for the charitable company’s purposes as set out in the governing documents of the Charity.
The Designated Capital Fund represents the tangible and heritage assets held by the charitable company. Each year the annual depreciation charge in respect of the long leasehold property is deducted from this fund. The transfer in the year has ensured the fund covers the full net book value of all fixed and heritage assets held.
The Designated Major Repairs Fund represents funds available for the upkeep of the charitable company’s fixed assets. This fund has been transferred to the general fund during the year as it is not expected to be utilized in the near term.
The Designated Bench Fund represents funds donated through the North American Friends of Chawton House in support of an appeal to raise resources to construct, install and maintain seating throughout the grounds of Chawton House.
The Revaluation Reserve represents the difference between the historic cost and revalued cost of the investment property following the revaluations undertaken by the Trustees in 2017, and CKS Consulting in 2021.
26
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **20 Analysis of charitable funds** _**(continued)**_
**Analysis of movement in restricted funds**
|**Balance 1**
**Jan 2020**
**Income**
**£**
**£**
Book Conservation Fund
**10,636**
**-**
Painting Restoration Fund
**3,636**
**-**
Outdoor Lighting Fund
**-**
**1,910**
Culture Recovery Fund
**-**
**80,420**
Acquisition Fund
**-**
**9,250**
Website Development
**6,315**
**-**
Restricted funds
**20,587**
**91,580**
**Analysis of movement in restricted funds – previous year**
**Balance 1**
**Jan 2019**
**Income**
**£**
**£**
Book Conservation Fund
**10,614**
**22**
Painting Restoration Fund
**3,636**
**-**
Tea room/Scullery
refurbishment
**(371)**
**1,500**
Visitor Experience Manager
**-**
**12,500**
Library Exhibition Room
**804**
**-**
Website Development
**-**
**7,500**
Restricted funds
**14,683**
**21,522**|**Expenditure**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**(2,818)**
**(41,847)**
**(9,250)**
**(9,000)**
**(62,915)**
**Expenditure**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**(1,629)**
**(12,500)**
**(897)**
**(1,185)**
**(16,211)**|**Transfer**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**908**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**908**
**Transfer**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**500**
**-**
**93**
**-**
**593**
|**Balance 31**
**Dec 2020**
**£**
**10,636**
**3,636**
**-**
**38,573**
**-**
**(2,685)**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**50,160**|
||||**Balance 31**
**Dec 2019**
**£**
**10,636**
**3,636**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**6,315**|
||||**20,587**|
|||||
The Restricted funds are available for future expenditure in relation to specific activities and projects that the charitable company will undertake.
The Book Conservation Fund represents funds of last resort to repair/conserve books.
The Painting Conservation Fund represents funds of last resort to repair/conserve art works.
The Outdoor Lighting Fund represents funds received from the South Downs National Park Authority for flexible outdoor lighting to run evening and winter outdoor events.
The Culture Recovery Fund (grant funding via the NLHF) represents funds held to cover essential costs due to loss of income because of forced closure during the pandemic. This fund is to cover some salary costs and some project costs between 1st October 2020 and 31st March 2021.
The Acquisition Fund relates to a Grant from the Friends of National Libraries and Godmersham Park Lost Sheep Society to finance the purchase of the Godmersham Park copy of William Cowper's Poems and The Task.
The Website Redevelopment Fund relates to funding from Foyle Foundation for the cost of re-designing the Chawton House website.
27
**CHAWTON HOUSE LIBRARY**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020**
## **21 Analysis of net assets between funds**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**Fixed Assets**
-
**Heritage Assets**
-
**Cash and current investments**
186,098
**Current Assets**
29,050
**Current Liabilities**
(56,078)
**At 31 December 2020**
**159,070**
**Analysis of net assets between funds – previous year**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**Fixed Assets**
62,458
**Heritage Assets**
-
**Cash and current investments**
247,180
**Current Assets**
21,229
**Current Liabilities**
(37,669)
**At 31 December 2019**
**293,198**|**Designated**
**funds**
**£**
5,882,814
2,355,181
44,064
-
-
**8,282,059**
**Designated**
**funds**
**£**
5,063,287
2,355,181
59,064
-
-
**7,477,532**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
-
-
43,040
7,120
-
**50,160**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
20,587
-
-
-
-
**20,587**
|**Total**
**£**
5,882,814
2,355,181
273,202
36,170
(56,078)|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**8,491,289**|
||||**Total**
**£**
5,146,332
2,355,181
306,244
21,229
(37,669)|
||||**7,791,317**|
|||||
## **22 Contingent Liabilities**
Two former employees were members of a multi-employer pension scheme, which may expose the charitable company to liability due to the underfunding of the scheme. The charitable company is not, and has no intention to become, a member of any other multi-employer pension scheme. It is impracticable at this stage for the Trustees to determine the financial impact should this liability crystallise, however, the contingency planning for the charitable company does include contingent liability planning.
## **23 Related party transactions**
Transactions with Trustees have been detailed in note 11 of the financial statements. There were no further transactions with related parties during the year.
## **24 Company information**
Chawton House Library is a charitable company registered in England and Wales. In the event of the charitable company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charitable company.
28