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:
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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.
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The holding of talks and lectures relating to Decimus Burton and his work.
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The arrangement of visits to Burton designed buildings, places and landscapes.
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The publication of research into Decimus Burton and his period.
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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 2024 to 30 September 2025
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Paul Avis (Chair)
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Chris Jones (Secretary)
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David Woosnam (Treasurer)
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Guy Fearon
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Stuart Page
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Caroline Auckland
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Amanda-Jane Doran
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Keith Porter
Annual Report of the Trustees for the period ending 30 September 2025
At the time of writing this year’s report, we are currently celebrating the 200[th] anniversary of the Zoological Society’s gardens at Regent’s Park. As the Zoological Society’s architect, Decimus Burton was responsible for the layout of the gardens, as well as the design of many of the buildings within it. Over the coming years, other Burton buildings and projects will celebrate their 200[th] anniversary, so we look forward to the opportunity of celebrating his life and work at a national level in the years to come.
The Society’s programme of members’ events continues to grow. In November 2025, we had a very successful and well-attended tour of the Sir John Soane Museum, and private tour of the Drawing Office.
In June 2025 we hosted another successful student Roadshow event at the Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells - A Sense of Place - focusing on understanding the history and character of town centres, and their importance in planning for the future. The event was well attended by local sixth form students, architectural students, architects, local interest groups and the local planning department. The guest speaker was Ptolemy Dean, Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, and students participated in a workshop, where they designed and produced models of gateways into the town.
We have a number of events on this year’s calendar. Back in March, members were invited to join the Burton St Leonards Society in attending an illustrated talk by a member on his home in West Hill, St Leonards, which was designed by Decimus Burton for one of his sisters.
In Fleetwood, the Museum is continuing its restoration work on the adjoining Decimus Burton House.
Enquiries and research continue to come in. From Somerset, we were contacted by the owners of Ven House, who have recently completed an extensive restoration of Burton’s orangery, and in Tunbridge Wells, the new owners of 9 & 10 Crescent Road are nearing completion of the work to return the building back to two villas as originally intended and designed by Decimus. It is unfortunate that the Society couldn’t secure these buildings for a museum, but we are currently working on another opportunity to install the Society’s archives and an exhibition/study space within another of Burton’s buildings.
We continue to work on an enquiry from Holmewood House School in Langton Green to try and confirm whether any of the existing school building was designed by Decimus Burton, and not far away, the Society was invited by developers looking to carry out work to Burrswood in Groombridge to visit the property. Decimus Burton designed the original Burrswood for David Salomons in 1834, and although greatly altered and extended over the years, there still remains features of Burton’s original building.
The Society was contacted by a Postdoctoral Fellow in Modern Greek History from Royal Holloway, University of London, who is researching Greek women brought to Britain during the Greek War of Independence. Decimus’ brother, James Haliburton (he took the family’s former surname), had married a Greek girl called Adreana (date and details of marriage unknown, although she appears as Adreana Haliburton in family documents and is recognised as his wife in his will), who was with him while he was an Egyptologist in Egypt. The research is being carried out for a future exhibition. Further news on this will follow as it develops.
More recently, we have been contacted by a descendent of the Holford family, who is researching the use of a coat of arms on family furniture (Decimus designed Holford House, a lavish villa in Regent’s Park for one of the family members).
In another development on research, the Society has been able to offer, through a generous donation by one of its members, a funded bursary for a student to produce an original piece of research on Decimus Burton’s work. Stuart Page one of our committee members, and a wellrespected conservation architect, has had some positive communication with Cambridge University, the RIBA and the University of Portsmouth with respect to this, and is actively pursuing other institutions. Again, we will update members on progress in due course.
Our social media remains healthy. Our website has undergone some improvements with more in the pipeline (https://www.thedecimusburtonsociety.org/).
The Society continues to grow in a positive way, thanks largely to the hard work of our committee and our members.
ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD 01 OCTOBER 2024 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
The Society operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which became active on 1 February 2022 (previously an unregistered charity).
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Accrual Basis for Subscriptions FY24/25 FY23/24
Received During FY 1,560 2,300
Prepayments (FY 24/25 Rcvd Sep) -940 -970
Previous Year Prepayments 970 250
Adjusted Subscriptions 1,590 1,580
Donations 670 2,260
Grants (Note 1) 960 500
Interest 27 0
Gift Aid (Note 2) 372 0
Other 3 74
Adjusted Total Income 3,621 4,414
Expenses FY24/25 FY23/24
Printing/Preparation of Journal 1,048 312
Website/Zoom etc 707 414
Postage/Office 86 258
Guest Speaker 80 0
Roadshow Event (Note 3) 716 3,174
Payables from This Year 0 320
Payables From Last Year -320 -595
Total Expenses 2,317 3,883
Adjusted Surplus for the Year 1,305 531
Balance Sheet FY24/25 FY23/24
Cash at Bank (Year end) 5,134 4,180
Subscriptions Paid in Advance -940 -970
Expenses Payable 0 -320
Cash at Bank (Available) at YE 4,194 2,889
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Notes to the Accounts
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As part of the planning for the July 3[rd] 2024 Roadshow Event, a grant application was made to TWBC to cover the cost of one of the venues (£960). This was received in November 2025.
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Gift Aid was claimed for the first time on qualifying subscriptions since the society established itself as a CIO on 1[st] February 2022.
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Expenses for the 2025 Roadshow event were restricted to venue hire only. Incidental costs were met by a donation from RIBA West Kent.
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.
No transactions have been entered into with any Trustee or Related Parties of the Society.