A little-publicized group known as The Royal Oak Foundation is trying, with great success, to serve as a link between the US and Britain, sponsoring seminars and encouraging public awareness of historic preservation and ecological projects on both sides of the Atlantic. If you join, you get a member card giving you free admission to all National Trust sites and properties open to the public in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as to those properties of the National Trust for Scotland; a free subscription to their magazine and the Royal Oak Newsletter; a big National Trust Handbook for the first three countries (Scotland costs a wee bit extra); as well as advance notice and free or reduced price admission to Royal Oak lectures, symposiums, art exhibits, events and tours in both the US and UK. Individual membership is $50, family $75 (for up to five persons). The full amount is IRS deductible.
In the spring of 2002 alone there are lectures in 11 US states on gardens, collections and the architecture of some of Britain's National Trust properties.
Among the many National Trust publications is a handy folder for properties in and around London, 9 in town and about 24 sites, including Churchill's Chartwell Estate, outside. There's a 236-page book on Holiday Cottages (updated annually), a separate brochure on Fishing on National Trust rivers and lakes, and a splendid booklet on accessibility at National Trust properties for visitors with disabilities (updated annually).
The Holiday Cottages can be rented by the week from as low as £160 ($220) in winter to as high as £1,608 ($2,251) at the peak of summer, with most summer rentals in the £260-£600 ($360-$840) range, depending on location, number of bedrooms, and so forth.
For more information or to join, contact The Royal Oak Foundation at 26 Broadway (950), New York NY 10004, phone 800/913-6565 or 212/480-2889, Web site www.royal-oak.org.
