KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST

Registered charity 289346 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The object of the Trust is to preserve, conserve, restore and maintain for the educational and aesthetic benefit of the public now and in the future the Mansion known as Knebworth House, Knebworth in the County of Hertford, its historically associated chattels, muniments and other contents, the surrounding gardens, outbuildings, forest and parkland

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£309k
Latest spending
£403k
Registered
1984
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted funds decreased from £2,597,774 to £2,206,272 due to a net movement in funds of £391,502, driven by a £295,000 loss on the revaluation of tangible fixed assets. Despite this, the trustees report that the year-end reserves represent over four months' non-discretionary expenditure, satisfying their stated reserves policy.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: four months' non-discretionary expenditure (held: £2.2m)
KHEPT's policy on reserves has been to maintain them at a level of four months' non-discretionary expenditure. — page 6
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Lytton Enterprises Limited paid rent to the Trust of £16,200 for family occupancy of private areas of Knebworth House.
Lytton Enterprises Limited paid rent to the Trust of £16,200 (2024: £15,000) in respect of the family occupancy of the private areas of Knebworth House — page 19
Lord Henry Lytton Cobbold paid rent of £1,200 (2024: £1,200) to the Trust for the occasional private use of public rooms within Knebworth House. — page 19
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Lord Henry Lytton Cobbold paid rent of £1,200 to the Trust for occasional private use of public rooms within Knebworth House.
Lytton Enterprises Limited paid rent to the Trust of £16,200 (2024: £15,000) in respect of the family occupancy of the private areas of Knebworth House — page 19
Lord Henry Lytton Cobbold paid rent of £1,200 (2024: £1,200) to the Trust for the occasional private use of public rooms within Knebworth House. — page 19
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 29/02/2024)

Total income
£757k
Total spending
£473k
Cost of raising funds
£3k
Reserves (reported)
£1.4m
Employees
0

Reported reserves equal ~34.6 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 7.0 months; benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Hertfordshire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
28/02/2025£309k£403k
29/02/2024£757k£473k
28/02/2023£471k£539k
28/02/2022£733k£580k
28/02/2021£336k£401k

Common questions

Is KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted funds decreased from £2,597,774 to £2,206,272 due to a net movement in funds of £391,502, driven by a £295,000 loss on the revaluation of tangible fixed assets. Despite this, the trustees report that the year-end reserves represent over four months' non-discretionary expenditure, satisfying their stated reserves policy. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
UK government01/04/2022£3kKnebworth House, Old Knebworth Ln, Stevenage SG1 2AX
UK government01/04/2021£9kKnebworth House, Old Knebworth Ln, Stevenage SG1 2AX
UK government22/12/2020£19kKnebworth House
UK government22/12/2020£6kKnebworth House
The National Lottery Heritage Fund13/07/2020£9k"COVID19 Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust"
UK government01/04/2020£61kALB-HISTORIC ENGLAND - Knebworth House, Old Knebworth Ln, Stevenage SG1 2AX
The National Lottery Heritage Fund18/09/2018£85k"The Watchman's Tower - a view of the past and present"
UK government21/05/2018£112kWatchman's Tower, Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
UK government21/05/2018£112kWatchman's Tower, Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
UK government01/04/2018£6kWatchman's Tower, Knebworth
UK government£25kRepair Grants for Heritage at Risk

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with STEPPING STONE PRE-SCHOOL KNEBWORTH.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST£309k0unclearno doubt
STEPPING STONE PRE-SCHOOL KNEBWORTH FY2025£144k0unclearno doubt
HERTFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY NURSES CHARITY FY2024£104k0unclearno doubt
THE STOWE HOUSE PRESERVATION TRUST FY2025£515k0aboveno doubt
WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE PRESERVATION TRUST FY2025£7.1munclearmaterial uncertainty
THE ASGILL HOUSE TRUST LIMITED FY2025£448k0unclearno doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.