## **Charitable Objects** 

The advancement of education for the public benefit in the life and work of Decimus Burton and in the lives of other contemporary architects. to improve and diffuse knowledge of the life, work and influence of Decimus Burton. This will be achieved by the following means: 

1. The creation of a central resource point, containing a collection of material  relating  to  Decimus  Burton  and  his  work,  with  links  to material in other places. 

2. The holding of talks and lectures relating to Decimus Burton and his work. 

3. The arrangement of visits to Burton designed buildings, places and landscapes. 

4. The publication of research into Decimus Burton and his period. 

5. The encouragement of students and others to study and appreciate Decimus Burton's work. 

## **Establishment as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation** 

The  Society  transferred  its  operations  to  a  Charitable  Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which became active on 01 February 2022. 

## **Trustees of the Society for the period 01 October 2022 to 30 September 2023** 

1. Paul Avis (Chair) 

2. Aimee Felton (Vice Chair) 

3. Chris Jones (Secretary) 

4. David Woosnam (Treasurer – appointed 27[th] March 2023) 

5. Guy Fearon 

6. Stuart Page 

7. Caroline Auckland 

8. Amanda-Jane Doran 

9. Keith Porter (appointed 27[th] March 2023) 

## **Annual Report of the Trustees for the period ending 30 September 2023** 

On 25[th] April 2023, members of the Society, together with members of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society presented our business plan to repurpose 9 & 10 Crescent Road in Tunbridge Wells, two villas designed by Decimus  Burton  in  1828,  to  provide  a  museum  and  study  centre celebrating the life and work of the architect and the social history of the town in his lifetime. The aim is also to house the national Decimus Burton archive. The project has attracted considerable support from the public as well as local and national press, including the Times of Tunbridge Wells, The Guardian, Observer and Daily Mail. At present, the project team is still in negotiations with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, while at the same 




time  developing  the  additional  information  requested  by  the  National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of an Expression of Interest application, which is the precursor to a formal grant application. While this work is in progress, we are also looking into the potential for private sponsorship to purchase the property from the council and provide the museum trust with a platform to apply for funding. 

The town of Fleetwood in Lancashire was designed by Decimus Burton in the late 1830s. Fleetwood Museum is located in the old Customs House, designed  by  Burton,  and  in  May  of  2023,  the  Museum  successfully purchased an adjacent house also designed by Burton. This is an exciting development  for  the  museum and our  members  in Fleetwood,  as  the building in question retains many of its original features, including its kitchen range. 

In Tunbridge Wells, Trinity Theatre is looking to open its new tower project either this Spring or early Summer which will exhibit the history of the church from its beginnings when Decimus Burton designed it in 1828, to the present day. The Decimus Burton Society is currently working with Trinity to provide Decimus Burton material for the exhibition. 

In September, one of our members started work on a series of roadshows to encourage young secondary school students to enter the architectural and related professions. One of these projects will take place in Fleetwood and is being developed with Fleetwood Museum, The King’s Foundation, The Decimus Burton Society, the Royal Academy, The Fleetwood Trust, and the RIBA. It is aimed at local schools and will feature an exhibition of some of Decimus Burton’s early work. 

The Society continues to help sort through Philip Miller’s archive material on James and Decimus Burton held at the RIBA, and more recently, the society was donated Neil Cooke’s extensive archive by his sister. The archive covers not only Decimus Burton, but also of other Burton family members.  The  Society  was  also  donated  the  archive  of  Elizabeth Nathaniels, one of the founding members of the Society and a contributor of many articles to journals such as DECIMUS and The Apollo. Elizabeth has also donated her library of books relating to the architect’s life, his work and times. The Society’s main aim is to ensure that the archives and library are easily accessible to researchers. 

One new area that the Society has been involved in is planning. There are many listed Decimus Burton buildings throughout the country and from time to time the Society gets enquiries about planning matters. In most cases,  applications  are  often  successfully  dealt  with  by  local  Civic Societies, or other institutions such as the Georgian Group or Victorian 




Society. We will, however, look at applications on an individual basis if approached,  and  decide  if  our  involvement  will  add  value  to  the proceedings. Such a case occurred recently, when the Society wrote to object to a planning and listed building application in Calverley Park in Tunbridge Wells. The application was refused at the planning committee meeting. 

As at 30 September 2023 the Society had 60 subscriptions equivalent to 72 members and three corporate members. 

Followers of the society’s social media platforms have increased over the few years that the society has been going, such that we currently have 134 Facebook, 371 Twitter, and 381 Instagram followers. Our website, likewise, has recently seen 200 visitors per month and 2024 will hopefully turn out to be another productive year for The Decimus Burton Society. 

## **ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD 01 OCTOBER 2022 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2023** 

The  Society  operates  as  a  Charitable  Incorporated  Organisation  (CIO) which  became  active  on  1  February  2022  (previously  an unregistered charity).  The  2023  accounts  below  represent  the  first  full  year  of operations  as  a  CIO,  with  the  figures  for  the  previous  year  from incorporation on 1[st] February 2022. 

|oration on 1stFebruary 2022.|oration on 1stFebruary 2022.|oration on 1stFebruary 2022.|
|---|---|---|
|**THE DECIMUS BURTON SOCIETY**<br>**ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD 01 OCTOBER 2022 TO**<br>**SEPTEMBER30 2023**|||
|**Stg £**|**01 Oct**<br>**2022 -**<br>**30 Sep**<br>**2023**|**01 Feb**<br>**2022 -**<br>**30 Sep**<br>**2022**|
|**Income and Expenses**|||
|Subscriptions|1,422|807|
|Donations|170|0|
|Other Income|46|0|
|**Total Income**|**1,638**|**807**|
|Journal  printing  &  postage  &<br>website|(1,168)|(239)|
|**Total Expenses**|**(1,168)**|**(239)**|
|**Surplus for the Year**|**470**|**568**|
||||
|SurplusBrought Forward|1,888|1,320|






|**Surplus Carried Forward**|**2,358**|**1,888**|
|---|---|---|
||||
|**Balance Sheet**|||
|Cashat Bank|3,203|2,580|
|SubscriptionsPaidin Advance|(250)|(690)|
|ExpensesPayable|(595)|(2)|
|**Surplus**|**2,358**|**1,888**|



## **Notes to the Accounts** 

1. The Society has given no guarantees nor has any debt owing either during the year or at the year end. No security has been granted over the Society’s assets. 

2. No transactions have been entered into with any Trustee or Related Parties of the Society.