The most beautiful corner of England

The Lake District is the central mountainous area of Cumbria in the Northwest and has some of England's most beautiful scenery. Several other names are used to describe this area, for example Lakeland, and the English Lakes. Since the Lake District is a National Park, there is special control over building, to make sure that the beauty of the countryside is not spoiled. Nearly one quarter of the Lake District National Park is owned by the National Trust.

The National Trust is a charity, which means it is financed by ordinary people who pay to become members. It is not financed or run by the government.

The Trust was set up in 1895 by three people who thought that industrialization could spoil the countryside and ancient buildings of England and Wales.

Today the Trust is the third largest landowner in the country. It owns about 586,000 acres (almost 2,400 sq. km.) of land. Its properties include famous gardens, whole villages, farms, wind- and water-mills, lakes and hills, abbeys, prehistoric and Roman antiquities (including part of Hadrian's Wall), important bird sanctuaries such as Lindisfarne Island in Northumberland, and examples of industrial archaeology. The aim of the Trust is to conserve all these things for our enjoyment.

Susan Sheerin, Jonathan Seath, Gillian White: Spotlight on Britain; Oxford University Press, 1985, page 65

Is there an organization in your country that is similar to the National Trust?

How important is it to conserve areas and buildings?

Can conservation stop progress?