National Trust for Scotland

The National Trust for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, shares and speaks up for Scotland's magnificent heritage".

The trust owns and manages around 130 properties and 76,000 hectares (190,000 acres; 760 km²) of land, including castles, ancient small dwellings, historic sites, gardens, coastline, mountains and countryside. It is similar in function to the National Trust, which covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and to other national trusts worldwide.

The trust was established in 1931 as the "National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty", following discussions held in the smoking room of Pollok House. The Trust was incorporated on 1 May 1931, with John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl being elected as its first president, Sir Iain Colqhoun serving as the first chairman. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, owner of Pollok House, was appointed as a vice-president, and provided the trust with its first property, Crookston Castle. Another early acquisition was Glen Coe, which was purchased with assistance from the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1935.

Following the passage of the National Trust for Scotland Order Confirmation Act 1935 (26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8. c. ii), the trust gained the power to declare its properties "inalienable", meaning that they are effectively held in perpetuity, and can only be removed from the trust with parliamentary permission.

When the trust took on the management of mountain estates there was controversy concerning issues such as the siting of visitor centres, which some considered inappropriate for land of "wild" character. The trust has since removed some intrusive facilities, with the original Glen Coe Visitor Centre being removed in 2002; a new centre was built lower down the glen. Similarly the visitor centre at Ben Lawers was removed in 2012.

In August 2010, a report called Fit For Purpose by George Reid, commissioned by the Trust, cited shortcomings that were corrected through organizational restructuring largely completed by the end of its 2011/12 Fiscal Year. The stabilisation of the Trust's finances allowed it to make its first acquisition in seven years when it bought the Alloa Tower in Clackmannanshire in 2015.

Historians working for the NTS have estimated that at least 36 of the 139 historic properties owned by the Trust have links to the Atlantic slave trade. Many former of owners of NTS properties either directly or indirectly benefited from the ownership or exploitation of enslaved people, or received compensation payments from the Slave Compensation Act 1837.

The trust is a registered charity under Scottish law. As of 2024^[update] it employed 1,144 people in total (taking account of seasonal employees), up from 760 in 2022. This equated to 617 people on a full-time equivalent basis, up from 469 in 2022. The trust's patron is King Charles III; the president is Jackie Bird; the CEO is Philip Long; and the chair is Dame Sue Bruce.