2024-12-31-accounts

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BERKHAMSTED CASTLE TRUST

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity (England & Wales) No. 1176286

Report and Accounts for the period ended 31 December 2024

Reference and administrative information	1
Trustees’ annual report	2
Independent Examiner’s report	10
Receipts and Payments Account	12
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	12
Notes to the Accounts	13

Reference and administrative information

Charity name Berkhamsted Castle Trust Charity type Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Foundation Model) Charity number 1176286 Registered Address Hilltop House Gravel Path Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 2PJ Operational Address Berkhamsted Castle White Hill Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 1JL

Trustees Trustees who served in the year to 31 December 2024 (“the reporting period”) were as follows:

Adrian Barham1
Sarah Caradec	(resigned 13 July 2025)
Paul Crosland2	(appointed 12 November 2024)
Lou Garrod	(resigned 12 November 2024)
Susan Johnson2	(resigned 12 November 2024)
Peter Matthews3
Dr James Moir
Professor Jonathan Morris
Richard North
Richard Thompson	(resigned 12 November 2024)
Ken Wallis4
Bill Willett

Trustees in post at the date of formal adoption of this report were all those above not shown as having resigned, together with:

Wendy Conian[5] (appointed 8 April 2025)

1 Chair of Trustees & nominee of Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society 2 Nominee of Berkhamsted Citizens Association

3

Nominee of Berkhamsted Town Council (until 4 February 2025; appointed in a personal capacity thereafter)

4 Nominee of Berkhamsted & District Archaeology Society

5 Nominee of Berkhamsted Town Council

Report of the Trustees for the period ended 31 December 2024

The Trustees present their report and accounts covering the financial year to 31 December 2024.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the charity's constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

Objectives and activities

This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. Berkhamsted Castle Trust reports the success of each key activity and the benefits the charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the Trustees ensure that the charity's aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes.

The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

Purposes and aims

The object of Berkhamsted Castle Trust is the advancement of the education of the public by:

(1) promoting or assisting in the promotion of improvements in the organisation and provision of information and other services and facilities for visitors by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (also known as Historic England) and The English Heritage Trust (registered charity no: 1140351) or their successors in respect of Berkhamsted Motte and Bailey Castle, Hertfordshire (a scheduled ancient monument, List entry Number: 1010756) (“the castle”) and generally in the preservation and upkeep of the castle and by fostering the use and enjoyment of the castle by the public;
(2) conducting, financing or otherwise commissioning historical research or archaeological investigation into the castle (and people or events of historical significance connected to it) and making public the results of such research or investigation (by means of publications, exhibitions, lectures, meetings, events, discussions, guided visits or otherwise);
(3) taking into ownership or use in order to further the above object any land or building forming part of, or formerly part of, the castle (whether by purchase, lease, receipt as a gift or otherwise).

Historical development

Local engagement with Berkhamsted Castle had for many years been co-ordinated through a Castle Liaison Group chaired by a Councillor from Berkhamsted Town Council. This Group brought together representatives from Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society (registered charity no: 803417), Berkhamsted and District Archaeology Society, Berkhamsted Citizens Association, Berkhamsted Town Council and Dacorum Borough Council who would meet periodically with a representative from The English Heritage Trust (registered charity no: 1140351) and the Duchy of Cornwall’s Land Steward for the area. In addition, for well over a decade, the Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society had run the visitors’ room adjacent to the cottage at the Castle in which sixteen panels set out the history and development of the Castle and the town.

A strategic decision was taken in 2017 to establish a new registered charity focussed solely on the Castle, as a replacement for the Castle Liaison Group, and to work towards local management of the site (including the visitors’ room) in partnership with The English Heritage Trust. Each of the stakeholders on the Castle Liaison Group was given a right to nominate one Trustee to the new charity to continue to represent their interests.

Achievements and performance

During 2024 the Trust continued to focus on the provision of the core service of managing the Castle site under the Local Management Agreement with English Heritage. At the same time, it also received a significant grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to enable research to be commissioned from Land Use Consultants Limited into the former medieval deer park area connected the Castle (see section on the Royal Park Research, below).

The Trust continued to make a significant contribution to many sectors of the public with an interest in the history of the Castle and its former residents. Volunteers and Trustees between them provided over 1350 hours of volunteer service in support of our activities (which has a value, at National Lottery Heritage Fund rates, of £10 an hour for unskilled work, £20 an hour for skilled tour guide / interpretation assistance work and £50 an hour for professional input (legal, accountancy, heritage specialist, etc.)).

The Royal Park Research

Towards the end of 2023 the Trust was advised that it had secured funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (administered by Dacorum Borough Council) to undertake a feasibility study on the potential for enhancing Berkhamsted Castle and its surrounding land. The latter comprised the large, former Royal Medieval Deer Park, extending up to Castle Village, bordering Ashridge and Northchurch Commons and forming a northern ‘edge’ to the town between the Castle and Gossoms End.

A procurement exercise was undertaken, and in January 2024 Land Use Consultants Limited (LUC) were appointed from a shortlist of four. Work on the study began in earnest in that month, and during the first half of the year the Trust dedicated many volunteer hours to managing the study and liaising with the consultants. LUC undertook

a series of landholder and stakeholder discussions, mapped the land ownership and use of the Park, researched its history and evolution, developed a masterplan for its future, and took this out to public consultation. The Trust was provided with three excellent reports. The first was a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (March 2024) which outlined the Park’s ecological importance and potential. The second was a Statement of Significance for the Deer Park (May 2024) proving the critical role these 500 acres of land had played in moulding the historic landscape north of the Castle, and the remarkable survival of many of its features. Finally, the principal Feasibility Study Report ‘Reconnecting Berkhamsted Castle’ was completed in July 2024. The full suite of documents is available to the public on the Trust’s website.

The Feasibility Study has laid out a very clear vision as to how the Castle and Deer Park could be knitted together to form a key gateway site, performing functions way beyond the vital need to protect this rich heritage asset. The Trust is committed to carrying forward the recommendations, realising that such a vision can only be achieved by establishing successful partnerships with all the identified stakeholders.

Development of a SANG by Taylor Wimpey to the north west of the Castle

At the same time as the Trust was undertaking research into the former deer park connected to the Castle, Taylor Wimpey moved forward with a proposal to create a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) on land to the north west of the Castle, adjacent to Berkhamsted Cricket Club. The Trust objected to the planning application for this use due to the impact it would have on the Castle site and the potential for harm to both the environment locally and archaeological remains within the confines of the proposed site. Representatives from Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society identified the presence of a World War 1 trench structure on the site, and successfully applied to Historic England to secure its listing as a scheduled monument (list entry number 1489045). Despite this, Dacorum Borough Council granted permission for creation of the SANG.

Guided tours & visits

During the year we again provided over a dozen free guided tours to schools and community groups from Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London, including Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides groups. Schools groups again ranged from nursery age to Year 10, with a particular focus at Key Stage 2 on the Norman Conquest and Castles.

Castle Trails project

The Trust benefitted from a Community Co-Production Heritage Award from the University of Hertfordshire to develop a series of Castle Trails leaflets for use by visitors to the Castle. The award (part of a major UKRI Impact Acceleration Award to the University) provided £7,500-worth of support to the University’s Heritage Hub to enable it to help the Trust research, write, design and produce leaflets on the development of the Castle, women connected to the Castle, and a trail specifically for children. The Trustees wish to record their thanks to the University of Hertfordshire for its kind support for this project.

Great Crested Newt survey

Herts Amphibian & Reptile Group and the London, Essex & Hertfordshire Amphibian and Reptile Trust (LEHART) again conducted a survey for Great Crested Newts (GCN) in the moats at the Castle, and again confirmed extensive GCN presence in the moat and the sewers in the road just outside the Castle. The Trust continued to press English Heritage about the excessive amount of vegetation growth in the moats, and the need for a comprehensive plan for regular vegetation clearance / maintenance of water quality.

Local Management Agreement with English Heritage

2024 marked the fifth year of our 5-year Local Management Agreement with English Heritage under which the Trust provides day-to-day management of the Castle site. Despite regular communication and reminders to English Heritage, attempts to put in place another 5-year agreement did not prove possible. Instead, English Heritage issued a 12-month extension whilst it looked to re-formulate the text of the agreement, and pending reconfirmation in 2025 of its own licence from Historic England to operate the National Heritage Collection of properties (of which the Castle is one).

Replacement benches

We reported last year that, during 2022 we agreed a specification for replacement benches for the bailey with both English Heritage and the Duchy of Cornwall (for benches made from sustainable English Oak and branded with the Duchy’s coat of arms to help reinforce the interpretative message that the Castle ruins remain owned by the Duchy). These were delivered to site in late 2023 but, due to ongoing concerns with conservation of the Castle’s curtain wall, awaited installation throughout 2024.

Herts Highways Drainage works on White Hill

During 2024 Herts Highways commenced works to attempt to alleviate regular flooding on the roads to the south and west of the Castle site (in part, originally the line of the Castle’s outer moat). Scheduled Monument Consent was granted for works in the outer moat on the west of the site (opposite Berkhamsted Railway Station) and at the south east of the site (opposite the junction between White Hill and New Road) to remove accumulated silt from years of surface run-off that had been channelled into the moat. However, the unseasonably warm start to the year saw earlier than anticipated movement of GCN on site, which triggered a suspension of the works. These have been re-scheduled for Herts Highways’ 2025/26 financial year.

Much Ado About Nothing outdoor performance

Following on from last year’s successful performances of Macbeth , by Tring-based theatre company, Drama Impact, two outdoor performances of Much Ado About Nothing were this year held in the bailey of the Castle, with around 250 people attending each performance.

Wall conservation works

English Heritage continued to evaluate wall consolidation works during 2024, with further surveys of their condition and monitoring being undertaken, and further discussions with Historic England taking place. Although several areas of the walls remain fenced off for the protection the public, some of the fencing was removed in areas of lesser concern. The Trust continued to express concern to English Heritage at the ongoing delay in addressing these issues in a timely and satisfactory manner.

Tree works

As part of the regular maintenance cycle for the portion of the scheduled monument site owned by the Trust, tree works were undertaken by Collinson Tree Care during 2024. This gave effect to recommendations made by Arboricultural Consultancy, Patrick Stileman Limited, at the end of 2023.

Heritage Open Days 2024

The Trust once again ran its traditional, free guided tours for the Heritage Open Days event, with our Trustees providing the usual high standard of engaging tours on five occasions. Once again, the feedback received from those attending was extremely complimentary. The theme in 2024 was “Connections, Routes and Trails”, and was used as an opportunity to launch the Trails documentation produced in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire.

Membership of other bodies

During 2024, and building on the Park research undertaken by LUC, the Trustees took the decision to enrol the Trust as a member of CPRE Hertfordshire (registered charity no. 1162419 – the local Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England), The Chiltern Society (registered charity no. 1085163) and the Open Spaces Society (registered charity no. 1144840). In addition, the Trust became a member of Dacorum Council for Voluntary Service (registered charity no. 288080 – operating as Community Action Dacorum) to receive their support for recruitment of local volunteers. Additionally, Berkhamsted Castle Trust received an accreditation from ‘Visitor Ready’, a free accreditation scheme for hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses.

Website and Social media

Throughout the year we continued to publish information about the Castle on our social media channels (particularly Facebook, Twitter / X and Instagram) and add new research / articles onto the website. The website continued to be maintained by McMorran Media during 2024, and hosting for the site was successfully moved from TSO Host to McMorran Media.

DENS Castle Walk

In September the Castle was used as the start and end point of a 10km Castle Walk in aid of DENS Limited (registered charity no. 1097185), a local charity tackling

homelessness and poverty in Dacorum. Over 300 walkers tackled the route in the sunshine and raised over £15,000 of vital funds to support local people facing crisis.

Volunteers’ Review Meeting

At the end of the summer season the Trust again held a review session to which all the volunteers were invited. This was an opportunity for the Trustees to thank everyone for their continued support of the Trust, to explain their plans for the coming years, and to listen to the thoughts and ideas of the volunteers, so that they could be factored into future arrangements.

After many years of support for the Trust as rota co-ordinator / lead volunteer (as well as years of support to the Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society’s operation of the Castle visitors’ room before the creation of the Trust), Andrew Holder stepped back from that role at the end of 2024 due to ill health. The Trustees wish to place on record their enormous thanks to Andrew for his unwavering support for the Castle over very many years and wish him well for the future.

Administration

The Trust continues to benefit from the generous provision of IT support through the Google for Non-profits scheme, and the availability of free or discounted software through Charity Digital Trust (registered charity no. 1133179). The Trustees are extremely grateful to both Google and Charity Digital Trust for the continuing support offered to the Trust.

Plans for the future

The Trust continues to make a significant contribution to many sectors of the public with an interest in the history of the Castle and its former residents. The dedication of our volunteers has continued to make a significant difference to the public’s use and enjoyment of the Castle site.

The Trust’s main priority for 2025 will be to build on the Park research undertaken by LUC and work in conjunction with English Heritage and other strategic partners to further develop proposals to establish a park centred on the Castle, comprised of part of the former mediaeval deer park. This will help to secure the educational base of the Trust’s activities, with renewed information about the history and purpose of the original deer park and consideration of how best to impart that information to the wider public on site at the Castle, in the wider landscape, and through online and other means.

Public benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties. The public benefit of the Charity’s activities is focussed on providing education to the general public about the history of the Castle and its former inhabitants and this is achieved principally by providing on-site access to a visitors’ room and guided tours around the Castle through which education is provided to visitors from the local area, nationally and internationally.

Structure, governance and management

Berkhamsted Castle Trust adopted its constitution on 13 December 2017 using the Charity Commission’s Charitable Incorporated Organisation Foundation Model documentation and was formally incorporated and registered by the Charity Commission on 14 December 2017. The Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society, Berkhamsted and District Archaeology Society, Berkhamsted Citizens Association, Berkhamsted Town Council and Dacorum Borough Council, as local stakeholders of the original Castle Liaison Group, were all given a right to nominate one trustee each to represent their interest in the Castle. The Trust may have a maximum of 15 trustees, inclusive of the 5 nominee trustees. There are no current plans to extend the number of Trustees currently in post, although this is kept under review to ensure that the Trust’s educational capability, financial management, and heritage activities are overseen by suitably capable individuals.

The Trust has a number of policies to assist in the delivery of its operations, covering Complaints, Data Protection, Equal Opportunities, Equality & Diversity, Health & Safety and Safeguarding. These were first put in place during 2023 and are kept under review.

Financial review

The results for the review period were once again in line with the Trustees' expectations. As mentioned above, the Trust received a £26,000 grant from Dacorum Borough Council’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which together with the Marchus Trust grant of £5,000 received in 2023 helped to fund the study into the Castle Deer Park by LUC. English Heritage settled the final quarterly invoice relating to the Land Management Agreement in December which was earlier than normal. A generous donation enabled the purchase of a gazebo for use at events and was put to good use during a Market Day earlier in the year as part of the public consultation into the Castle Deer Park.

Apart from the cost of the LUC study, and the gazebo mentioned above, the only other major item of expenditure related to tree pruning work within the Castle grounds following the Tree Risk Assessment Report received in 2023.

Reserves policy and going concern

The Trustees have continued to maintain the Trust’s assets in a liquid balance of funds in the bank as it seeks to recover from the pandemic. No illiquid or longer-term investments have been made pending a more detailed planning of the Trust’s future strategy and funding requirements.

All the funds of the Trust are unrestricted. The Trustees have identified no significant short- or medium-term financial risks to the charity’s continued operations save the general economic climate of the country, and therefore the accounts have been prepared on the going concern basis.

Risk

The major risks to which the Charity is exposed have been identified by the Trustees and are monitored and reviewed regularly. The Trustees minimise investment risk through maintenance of liquid assets at a reputable High Street bank; finance risk by the preparation and monitoring of budgets; strategic risk by the maintenance of good practice; and operational risk and regulation compliance risk through the regular review of activities and (where appropriate) the use of professional advisers.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

Law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the Trustees should follow best practice and:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice 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 charity will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Independent examiner

David Sayers kindly agreed to undertake an independent examination of the Trust’s accounts for the period, and his report is reproduced in the following pages.

This report was approved by the Trustees on 1 September 2025 and signed by:

Adrian Barham Chair of Trustees

Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees

Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:	Chartered Tax Advisor

	73 Bridgewater Road
	Berkhamsted
	HP4 1JB

Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2024

The Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 were approved by the Trustees on 1 September 2025 and signed by: