Leaving a Legacy
Why Leave a Gift in Your Will?
Leaving a gift in your Will to English Heritage is an important way of protecting England’s rich and varied history.
Past legacies have been a major contributing factor in helping to conserve English Heritage properties and are a way of leaving a lasting memory for families to treasure.
“If the bequest I make can in any way preserve these sites for future generations to enjoy, in the way that I have done, then I feel that my existence will have been a more constructive and purposeful one. I believe that English Heritage performs a very important function, as a nation’s heritage is its most valuable asset and must be preserved for perpetuity. If my legacy helps English Heritage achieve this then I feel that I will have given something back. After all once our heritage is lost it is lost forever” (Mr Robey, Derbyshire).
How Gifts in Wills Have Helped
It is thanks to the support of the public that important sites have been restored, with income from legacies making a vital contribution to our work.
All gifts in Wills, unless otherwise specified, go into the Development Fund.
One bequest was specifically directed to the Blue Velvet Room at Chiswick House, one of the earliest and most important neo-Palladian villas in England.
Kenwood House, now under the guardianship of English Heritage, was bequeathed to the nation along with its collection of Old Masters paintings by the first Earl of Iveagh in 1928. This is an example of how a legacy can benefit a nation for many years to come.
How Gifts in Wills Can Help English Heritage and Benefit You
Your gift could help urgent conservation work to be carried out, purchase a work of art or furniture for one of our properties, or provide more award-winning education materials and teacher packs.
By leaving a gift in your Will to English Heritage, you can also benefit family and friends. In years to come, two of your family or nominated friends will be able to remember you in a very special way because we will offer them free access – for life – to any English Heritage property you choose to name. (We suggest a minimum legacy of £500 to benefit from this offer).
We commemorate all those who leave a legacy to English Heritage (with their permission or that of their families) in a Book of Remembrance that resides in Jewel Tower, Westminster.
If you are a United Kingdom resident, your legacy to English Heritage will be entirely free of tax and may reduce your inheritance tax bill.
How To Leave a Gift in Your Will
By seeking legal advice from your local solicitor, drawing up a Will is a straightforward process. We have included our suggested wording for a gift in your Will to English Heritage, should this be of use to you.
Alternatively, if you wish to amend your current Will, you can instruct your solicitor to do this by means of a codicil (a legally binding document that adds to or alters the terms of a Will).
If you intend to leave a gift in your Will to English Heritage, you can complete our Pledge form, thereby helping us to plan much more effectively.
If you would like talk about leaving a gift in your Will, please do contact Alexandra Gow-Smith on 020 7973 3538 or at alexandra.gow-smith@english-heritage.org.uk and she will be happy to discuss this with you.
Alternatively you may wish to request a copy of our information pack on leaving a legacy to English Heritage, which Alexandra would be pleased to send to you.
English Heritage has been given the same benefits from tax relief as charities by the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, and this extends to Inheritance Tax.
Pledge a Legacy to English Heritage and your gift will help to conserve the heritage of England and leave a legacy of the past for future generations to enjoy.
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