The Rothwell Preservation Trust

Rothwell Preservation TrustThe

Welcome to the Rothwell Preservation Trust

The Rothwell Preservation Trust is a charitable organisation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the historic buildings of Rothwell, Northamptonshire. The Trust was launched at a Public Meeting in Rothwell on 24 October 1985, this meeting was attended by 110 members of the public. The proposal to formally establish the Trust received enthusiastic local support. The ultimate goal of the Rothwell Preservation Trust is the preservation and restoration of the beautiful historic buildings of Rothwell, and the upkeep of Rothwell in general.

In particular, the Trust has responsibility for Rothwell's iconic Market House. It's nearly 450 years old and is unique to our town. As it stands at the centre, everyone in Rothwell knows and loves it. At the moment, the Trust is very concerned about the condition of its roof, which leaks and needs replacing. Given that the Market House is a Grade 1 listed building, this is an expensive and time-consuming task. But the Trust is determined to ensure that our splendid Market House is placed in a condition to ensure it lasts another 450 years!

The Trust was registered (no.1964744) at the Companies Registration Office on 25 November 1985. Registration has also been affected with the Charity Commissioners (no. 293537) and with the Civic Trust and Architectural Heritage Fund as a Buildings Preservation trust operating on the 'Revolving Fund' basis.

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Trust MembersMembers



  • Matt Garner

    Matt Garner

    Chair

  • Sue Johnson

    Sue Johnson

    Vice Chair

  • Ann Palmer

    Ann Palmer

    Secretary

  • Ian Jelley

    Ian Jelley

    Treasurer

  • user female

    Andrea Marlow

    Trustee

  • user male

    Alistair Mackay

    Trustee

  • user male

    Lloyd Mills

    Trustee

  • John Newman

    John Newman

    Trustee

  • user female

    Louisa Scotney

    Trustee

  • Mark Spendlove

    Mark Spendlove

    Trustee

  • Richard Ley

    Richard Ley

    Trustee

  • Steve Palmer

    Steve Palmer

    Trustee

PropertiesOur

Richard LeyChairman







  • "Rothwell is one of the most attractive towns in Northamptonshire". While those are not my words, but of one of the country’s most distinguished architectural historians, I wholeheartedly endorse what he says – and so, I guess, do most of you. I am chairman of the Rothwell Preservation Trust, formed by our townsfolk some years ago to look after and preserve our architectural heritage.


    In particular, the Trust owns and conserves the Market House, the pride and joy of Rothwell, and Grade One listed. It is one of a number of buildings in the area that were the work of Sir Thomas Tresham, and dates from 1578 – that’s ten years before the Spanish Armada! Its roof is causing us some concerns at the moment, but we are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep the building in good shape, and we shall keep you posted on developments. As well as owning other properties, including the Manor House (dating from the time of Queen Anne), the Trust keeps a weather-eye open on developments to try to preserve the town’s unique character.


    For the future, I have in mind that we should expand our role as ‘conservation watchdog’, working closely with Rothwell Town Council and others to achieve this. The Trustees themselves comprise a number of people from all sorts of backgrounds whose unifying factor is that they all share a love for our town. If you would like to be one of them, I should be delighted to hear from you – we are not an exclusive bunch, just ordinary townsfolk. The sole qualification is that you, like us, want to preserve our heritage as one of the county’s most attractive towns."