The Historic Towns Trust

Analysis

The Historic Towns Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bedford. It was registered in January 2015, 11 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). It says it sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending September 2025, The Historic Towns Trust reported income of £110k and spending of £154k, spending 141% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from September 2021 to September 2025, income grew from £41k to £110k (+169%), an average of +28% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to September 2022, when income rose by 264%. Over the whole period it spent 119% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, The Historic Towns Trust sits at the 80th percentile: it is larger than about 80% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 72nd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Hemby Charitable Trust (£110k), West Heath Community Association (£110k) and The Jane Austen Society (£110k).

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.