MILFORD BUILDINGS PRESERVATION TRUST ANNUAL REPORT st For the Year Ended 31 March 2023 11 MILFORD HOUSE COLLECTION Milford Buildin s Preservation Trust is a com limited b uarantee Re istered in Northern Ireland with com an number N1054298 Re istered Office address as above Re istered as a charit at the I nland Revenue with reference number XR82797 Re istered with the chari Commission Northern Ireland reference number 101166 an
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Financial Statements Year ended 31 March 2023 Contents Page Charity Reference and Administrative Details Trustees. Annual Report (Including Directors. Report) Independent Examiner's Report statement of Financial Activities (Including Income and Expenditure Account) Balance Sheet 10 Notes to the Financial Statements 12-16 Detailed Income Statement 17
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Flnancial Statements Year ended 31 March 2023 Charity registration number NIC101166 Company regislration number N1054298 Trustees Mr Stephen Mcmanus Mary Lester Mrs Catherine Rose Marie Mcmanus Mr Ivor Thomas Edward Whitten Reglstered office 48 Hill Street Milford Armagh BT60 3PB Accountant WHR Accountants Ltd Chartered Accountants 26 The Square Moy Co Tyrone BT71 7SG Bankers First Trust Bank Dungannon BT70 1AZ
Milford Buildings Preservatlon Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Dlrectors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year 318t March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2008 and 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 published on 16 July 2014 (as amended by Update Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016). General Information The address of the charitable company's registered office is 48 Hill Street, Milford Village. Co. Amiagh. BT60 3PB. Trustees of the charlty Mllford Buildings Preservation Trust. The directors of the charitable company are its trustees for the purposes of charity law. The trustees who have served during the year and since the year end were as follows: Mrs Catherine Rose Marie Mcmanus (Chairperson) Mr Stephen Mcmanus (Secretsry) Mary Lester (Treasurer) Mr Ivor Thomas Edward Whitten Objectives and activitles The object of the charity as set out in our Constitution is Milford Buildings Preservation Trust, for the benefit of the nation, works to protect, promote and preserve and restore Milford House in Co. Amiagh and the built and natural heritage of the Milford area of Co. Armagh. The twst owns the Milford House collections which is a historic house collection and an Accredited museum. The charity preserves the collections from Milford House Co. Armagh, organises house tours, events, lectures, and publications to promote, encourage and educate the public in the historic, architectural importance of Milford House Co. Armagh and the Milford area of Co. Armagh. These collections are held in Trust for the benefit of society. The charity raises awareness of the buildings at risk, in need of restoration and regeneration working with the community and local and national govemment to protect buildings of historic and architectural interest by encouraging them to be made listed buildings and monuments. This benefits the public through pride of place, saving communities which would be destroyed or negatively altered through loss of built and natural heritage and helping to regenerate the local community through herttage and tourism. The charity teaches traditional building and craft skills which might otheiSe be lost. Public benefit statement These benefits are demonstrated through the sense of wellbeing from appreciating a beautiful building, place or structure. A sense of inspiration from appreciating the arts. culture, heritage and science through enhanced access to a historic building or important landmark. Milford House. Milford is a B1 lisled building of nalional and international importan¢e. It 13 famou3 83 the fir3t hou3e in Ireland to have hydroelectriGity and world famou3 88 the birthplace and home of William Mccrum who invented the penalty kick. Today it is one of the top ten listed buildings at most serious risk in Northem Ireland on the Built Heritage At Risk Register. There are various other buildings and structures at risk associated with this historic property.
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Dlrectors. Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The Milford area of County Amagh has gone into rapid decline since the closure of Milford factory in 1980. It is world famous for its industrial and sporting heritage. There are no less that eleven listed buildings in the area three on the Built Heritage At Risk Register. These buildings and structures of local. national and international importance need to be protected, preserved and made accessible for perpetuity in order to prevent them being lost. The Charity's beneficiaries are the general public for the benefit of everyone regardless of social, economic, ethnic or religious background and sexual orientation. Private benefit to unintended beneficlaries The only private benefit flowing from this purpose are Trustees and volunteers who receive training, are reimbursed for travelling and certain sustenance expenses which are both incidental as they contribute to towards achieving the charity's purposes and are a necessary result or byproduct of carrying out the purposes. Potential harm and restrictions on public benefit There is no harm flowing from this purpose. There is a small charge to cover the services and facilities which are expensive to run. To ensure the poor and those with limited income are not excluded there are free entry days and concessionary fees available. other purposes of the charity To restore renovate and conserve the gardens parkland planned landscapes and other open spaces and land associated with or related to such buildings or structures. Benefits flowing from this purpose The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include the advancement of the arts, culture, heritage and science through enhanced public understanding of history through access being granted to gardens parkland planned landscapes and other open spaces and land associated with or related to such historic buildings, important landmarks or structures being preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Furtherlng our Public Benefits The Trust continued to actively work to raise awareness of Milford House which is one of the top ten listed buildings at risk in Northern Ireland. Meetings with various government departments has been held in relation to this. The matter is ongoing. The Trust also continued to work to raise awareness of build and natural heritage at risk in general. Public benefit statement These benefits are demonstrated through the sense of wellbeing from appreciating a beautiful building, place or structure. A sense of inspiration from appreciating the arts, culture. heritage and science through enhanced access to a historic building or important landmark. Milford House is a B1 listed building of national and international importance. It is famous as the first house in Ireland to have hydroelectricity and wodd famous as the birthplace and home of Williarn Mccrum who invented the penalty kick. Today it is one of the top ten listed buildings at most sgrious risk in Northem Ireland on the Built Heritage At Risk Register. There arg various othor buildings and structures at risk associated with this historic property. The Milford area of County Armagh has gone into rapid decline since the closure of Milford factory in 1980. It is world famous for its industrial and sporting heritage. There are no less that eleven listed buildings in the area three on the Built Heritage At Risk Register. These buildings and structures of local, nalional and international
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Directors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 importance need to be protected. preserved and made accessible for perpetuity in order to prevent them being lost. The Charity's beneficiaries are the general public for the benefit of everyone regardless of social. economic. ethnic or religious background and sexual orientation. Private benefit to unintended beneficiaries The only private benefit tlowing from this purpose are Trustees and volunteers who receive training, are reimbursed for travelling and certain sustenance expenses which are both incidental as they contribute to towards achieving the charity's purposes and are a necessary result or byproduct of carrying out the purposes. Potential harm and restrictions on public benefit There is no harm flowing from this purpose. There is a small charge to cover the services and facilities which are expensive to run. To ensure the poor and those with limited income are not excluded there are free entry days and concessionary fees available. Other purposes of the charity To restore renovate and conserve the gardens parkland planned landscapes and other open spaces and land associated with or related to such buildings or structures. Benefits flowing from this purpose The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include the advancement of the arts, culture, heritage and science through enhanced public understanding of history through access being granted to gardens parkland planned landscapes and other open spaces and land associated with or related to such historic buildings, important landmarks or structures being preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Furthering our Publlc Beneflts European Open Heritage Weekend The European Open Heritage Weekend in September 2022 a huge success and opportunity to showcase what we have to offer for visitors. Armagh Food and Cider Festival Armagh Banbridge Craigavon Borough Council invited Milford Buildings Preservation Trust to day part in the Armagh Food and Cider Festival. This coincided with European Open Heritage Weekend and ran for four days in second weekend in September. Special house tours with themes on what the family ate and drank took place and a talk on Edwardian Etiquette. All events were sold out. Armagh Georgian Festival The Armagh Georgian Festival in November 2022 was a great success with all events organized by Milford Buildings Preservation Trust at Milford House 3 Victoria Street being sold out. Events included Meet Éhe Georgians House Tour Georgian Afterr)oon Tea in the Dining Room Gill Robb at Armagh Banbridge Craigavon Borough Council sent a very nice email thanking the Trust for the hard work undertaking in events organized. The Festival this year was held over four days (as opposed to 0 day event which took place prior to pandemic).
Mllford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Directors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 Afternoon Tea Since reopening after the devastation of the Covid Pandemic it has been found that there has been increase in bookings and interest in silver service Afternoon Tea in the Dining Room. Milford Buildings Preservation Trust continues to promote this and explore ways for more experiential visits to provide new audiences to enjoy the property in different ways. Paranormal Investigations There have been a number of bookings in the season for paranomial groups to visit and explore the property. This attracts different kinds of audiences which Milford Buildings Preservation Trust has been unsure about. However, it has been very successful and beneficial since the donations help support the running costs of the property. Vvebsite During the pandemic the Milford Buildings Preservation Trust website crashed and became unavailable. It requires being upgraded and redesigned. The Trust was successful in securing emergency funding which will ensure it can be redesigned. It is currently being designed by CMS Design. University Placements Milford Buildings Preservation Trust were delighted to be working with Queens University Belfast offering postgraduates in museum studies student placements. Two students were allocated. The curator taught them skills in heritage management, care of historic houses and conservation of the collections. It was a mixture of praclical and discussion around contentious heritage. heritage issues in general and improving access. The placements ran from January to March when they finished early due to the enforced lockdown pandemic. Conservation project Care of Collections & restoration The Trust continued to care for the collections. Restoration work of 3 Victoria Street which began in 2016 continued and bedrooms were carpeted thanks to generous support of Ulster Carpets. Cataloguing and updates of existing records continue. A Collections Review Report was undertaken by Sean Madden Conservator. This was recommended by Northern Ireland Museums Council to provide a clearer understanding of the collection's conservation needs and forward plans to develop the collections. Northern Ireland Museums Council grant funded the report with a small contribution from Milford Buildings Preservation Trust. As part of this report the Trust has identified the need to represent the rooms according the 1930 Milford House Auction Inventory and develop the collections accordingly. This will give future generations an accurate understanding of what Milford House looked like and the opulence and grandeur in which the Mccrum family lived. The ongoing Covid pandemic has set back many of these projects. Equipment Thanks to the Department of Culture Emergency Fund grant the Trust was able to purchase new laptop, printer and scanner. Allowing for working from home and remote access lo files.
Milford Bulldings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Directors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 Acquisitions The Beecroft Bequest generously gave a grant towards purchase of magnificent Thomas Sheraton sideboard 7ft wide from Dundas Castle in Scotland. It matches the sideboard originally in the Milford House Dining Room and plays an important role in restoring the original appearance of the room. Northem Ireland Museums Council generously awarded a Collecting for the Future grant for the purchase of an Irish silver Loving Cup which was used by Robert Garmany Mccrum in his carriage to drink from. It was made in Dublin in 1770. It was acquired from the Rev. John W. Miller (great grandson of Robert G. Mccrum of Milford House) and his wife Joan Miller of Edinburgh Loans The Rev. John W. Miller and his wife Joan Miller of Edinburgh decided to move to Nairn to be closer to their daughter Margaret Miller. The generously offered Milford Buildings Preservation Trust items on loan. Stephen Mcmanus went over to Edinburgh in October 2021 to choose items, help pack and arrange transport. These items are on loan until such times as Milford Buildings Preservation Trust can raise funds to acquire Ihem. The items were transported in October 2021. Items include Waterford crystal and a Copeland Desert Service. Negotiation over loan of beds from Royal Brighton Pavilion are ongoing. Flnancial review During the year. the charity received £17.235 from various sources of income such as grant5 and donation5. Expenditure during the year amounted to £19,039. Of this. £8,633 was spent on costs directly for the purposes of the charity, with £2,520 of this recorded as fixed asset additions which had been covered by further grants of £2,520. Unavoidable overheads totaled £10,406. At the year end. the charity had funds in reserve totaling £15,685. Plans for future periods Collectlons Development To continue to search for lost contents of Milford House and acquire lost items. In absence of original contents. the charity plans to acquire items which closely match those that were in Milford House. To continue to develop the collections in general. This is part of a long-term major project to restore the appearance of the house to exactly how the Mccrum family would have known it prior to 1930. In doing so it improves visitors, interaclion and enjoyment for future generations. The conb'nued long term presentstion plan is to present Milford House as working historic house with museum accreditation rather than a static museum. This combines the Hillsborough Castle model (a working historic residence open to public) with National Trust model. Barriers are avoided where possible to retain lived in atmosphere appreciated by the public. The charity plans to conserve and put on a permanent display of further Mccrum portraits and otherfamily items that are in the Armagh County Museum Collection. The Trust is working with the County Museum to secure Ihese loans and meet their requirements as these are essential items that were once in Milford House. As part of the Collections Development. it is planned to improve presentation of the Drawing Room. Bedrooms. Dining Room and Moming Room A Collections Care and Development Audit is planned for future to ascertain exactly what gaps there are in the collection and conservation needs.
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees. Annual Report {including Directors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 Further research of the 1930 Milford House auction catalogue and family papers is providing greater understanding of Milford House was originally fumished. Visitor facilitles To continue to improve visitor facilities. The need for visitor facilities will be ascertained through the Collections Care and Development Audit. Collections will continue to be conserved as funds become available. Maintenance It is planned to continue the restoration, representation of rooms and upkeep of 3 Victoria Street, Armagh and make more of the propety publicly accessible. It was discovered that there was problems with the roof and water was penetrating into the wall of the back bedroom. This was repaired by the Trust and wallpaper removed to allow thc bedroom wall to dry out. Volunteer was recruited to tidy up and maintain the overgrown back garden and permanently remove problem of weeds growing in back yard. Renewal of Accreditatlon Full Accreditation was Renewed in 2018. Northern Ireland Museums Council recommended thal a Conservation report be produced to identify good conservation and environmental practice and areas for improvement. Given the circumstances of the COVID pandemic, Northern Ireland Museums Council has announced that renewal of Accreditation for museum in Northem Ireland would be extended by one year. Conservation Monltorlng: The strict regulations of the initial lockdown prevented the curator accessing the hisloric house and a Trustee undertook environmental monitoring. When restrictions eased and the house was opened up again the curator was able to resume working onsite. Resilience: The Trustees undertook online Resilience Training which was organized by Amiagh Banbridge Craiqavon Borough Council. This includes good governance. recruitment of Trustees and volunteers. Ensures long term sustainability. Funding being sought for this project. Statement of compliance The trustees of Milford Building Preservation Trust. during the year, complied with Iheir duty to have due regard to the guidance provided by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. Trustees, responsibilities The trustees (who are also directors of Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Limited forthe 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 exppnditijre. 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; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
Milford Buildings Preservation Trust Company limited by guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (including Directors, Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 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. Trustees. responsiblllties 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. Small company provislons This report has been prepared in accordance with provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption. This report was approved by the board of trustees on 141h March 2023 and signed on behalf of the board by.. Stephen Mcmanus harlty registration number.. NIC101166 Company registration number: N1054298