The Guide to Major Trusts 2025-26. DSC (Directory of Social Change)

Simon Jenkins to be new chairman of the National Trust

Journalist and author Simon Jenkins has been appointed as the next chairman of the National Trust. He succeeds Sir William Proby and will take up the three-year appointment in November.

Simon Jenkins - photo: Dan ChungA former editor of The Times and the London Evening Standard, Jenkins has long championed conservation causes. He founded the Railway Heritage Trust, was a founder member of SAVE Britain’s Heritage and the Thirties Society, and has worked to protect the London skyline. He was deputy chairman of English Heritage and a Millennium Commissioner and today chairs the trust publishing the Pevsner guides.

His books England’s Thousand Best Houses and England’s Thousand Best Churches have been bestsellers. He is now writing a book on the buildings of Wales.

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He claims to have visited every one of the Trust’s houses in England and Wales.

Dame Fiona Reynolds, the Director General, said: "This is a terrific appointment for the Trust. Simon is a hugely respected public figure with a deep understanding of what we do and a passion to move it forward. He will be a powerful advocate for our work and we all look forward to welcoming him."

The National Trust now has over 3.6 million members, and over 50,000 volunteers.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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