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Fancy a free break in an historic building, including a fort and a former railway station?
KAREN EVANS reports
THE Landmark Trust has launched 50 for Free, a new scheme giving away completely free breaks in its outstanding historic buildings - including some in Powys and Herefordshire - to the nominees of charities and other educational and not-for-profit organisations.
The trust is inviting organisations to apply now on behalf of groups or individuals they think would benefit from the 50 free breaks, such as carers, volunteers, struggling families and educational and non-profit groups.
Available
The Landmark Trust, whose restoration of Astley Castle won this year's RIBA Stirling Prize, rescues and restores important historic buildings, and makes them available to everyone for holidays and short breaks.
The stunning Shelwick Court, near Hereford, conceals an impressive and extremely rare medieval great chamber and open roof of massive timbers.
Landmark is now offering free breaks across a broad range of its buildings, including an artillery fort and a former railway station.
The list includes some of Landmark's most popular and spectacular buildings, such as Shelwick Court, near Hereford, which, despite having a respectable stone front from about 1700 and a staircase of the same date, conceals an impressive and extremely rare medieval great chamber with a six-bay open roof of massive timbers.
In Powys, Poultry Cottage at Leighton, near Welshpool, is included. It is a charming model estate cottage with barley twist chimneys, once lived in by the keeper of the various poultry which were housed in even greater splendour next door. It offers a peaceful setting (the chickens have long gone!) with views across the Severn Valley to Montgomeryshire.
In addition to Leighton, one can visit the gardens at Powis Castle, Glansevern Hall and Vaynor.
Another property is Maesyronnen Chapel, near Hay-on-Wye. The 18th-century cottage in which you stay was built on to the end of one of Wales's shrines of Nonconformity, the Maesyronnen Chapel. In this peaceful location, perched on a high shelf above the Wye you can look out across the Black Mountains and sample a different and earlier kind of life.
The walls of old stone farmhouse Stockwell Farm at Old Radnor enclose a much earlier dwelling. It stands on an escarpment littered with ancient stones and hummocks. There are wide views out over the hills and forests of Radnor, while Old Radnor has everything a village should, including a fine church.
Anna Keay, director of The Landmark Trust, said: "We believe that staying in a beautiful and important historic building with friends and family can be an inspiring, uplifting and transforming experience, and we want to make that available to as many people as possible.
"We are absolutely delighted that this scheme has been made possible now by a generous personal donation from Neil and Amelia Mendoza."
Neil Mendoza, chairman of Landmark's Trustee Board, said: "I was keen to support Landmark's 50 for Free for two simple reasons - it's a brilliant and imaginative idea, and it's just what Landmark should be doing. I hope we will be inundated with applications."
John McDonald, director of the Family Holiday Association, said: "It's a horrifying fact that, in a society as wealthy as ours, one in three families in the UK can't afford a simple break away from home. We're very pleased that the Landmark Trust is taking action to help address this need."
Deserving
The 50 short breaks will take place between March 10 and 17, 2014.
Charities, educational bodies, social enterprise and non-profit organisations have until January 4 to apply on behalf of deserving individuals that the organisations believe would benefit.
Application is via a simple form available on Landmark's website: www.land marktrust.org.uk/50-for-Free
Examples of the sorts of groups for whom the Trust welcomes applications include people in need of professional or personal respite stays, low income families unable to afford holidays, carers, the bereaved, volunteers, charitable workers and educational groups.
Applications are also invited for study breaks or to allow managers to develop their organisation's not-for-profit activities and wider aims. Applications from private individuals will not be accepted.
Successful applicants will be announced at the end of January.
