Support Us
Paxton House is one of the finest and least altered Palladian houses in Britain. Home to the Home family for 300 years, its survival for the enjoyment of everyone has been secured by the creation of the Paxton Trust. The Trust needs regular donations, legacies and public support to maintain our high standards of care and to keep the house and grounds open for visitors.
Why is Paxton House important?
The house is an architectural gem – a gentleman’s house in the Scottish Borders furnished and decorated by some of the leading designers of the eighteenth century – James and Robert Adam and Thomas Chippendale – with grounds in the contemporary landscape style. We are the custodians of a series of collections of national importance, furniture by Thomas Chippendale and William Trotter, two of the most important cabinet makers in England and Scotland respectively in the 18th and 19th centuries, and costume from several periods including an extraordinary set of gentleman’s court clothing from the 1740s. We also look after a loan collection of paintings from the National Gallery of Scotland.
Why we need your support
The Paxton Trust is a registered charity and relies on your support to generate funds to maintain the house and its unique collections.
Maintaining the house and grounds from our endowment is a constant challenge. We run education programmes and community outreach alongside our programmes of conservation, restoration and historical research. Our grounds provide important habitat for local wildlife.
The Trust is managed by a board of volunteer trustees and the house and grounds are run by a small dedicated team.
The Paxton Secretaire, an important piece of furniture by Thomas Chippendale, reacquired and returned to the house in 2022.
Make a Donation
If you share our passion for Paxton House and sharing the history it represents, please consider a donation. If you are a UK tax-payer, you can add value to your donation by signing a Gift Aid Declaration. This allows us to claim an extra 25p from HMRC for every £1 you give, and it doesn’t cost you any more. In fact, if you are a higher-rate taxpayer, the net cost to you will be just 60% of the gross value. If you donate £50, for example, we will receive £62.50 but it will actually cost you just £37.50. Remember that a regular monthly gift helps us to manage our finances better and has a real impact on the efficacy of your gift.
Please consider making a regular donation and completing our gift aid form. You will be making a vital contribution to keeping Paxton House and its treasures open for everyone.
Become a Friend
Join the Paxton family by becoming a Friend. If you live nearby, our Friends’ pass is well worth considering. Only £10 more than our annual pass at £35 (£60 per couple), being a Friend marks you as a true supporter of Paxton House. You also benefit from unlimited access to the house and grounds all year and other discounts which will make you feel at home whenever you visit.
Benefits:
• Unlimited free access to house tours during the season and the grounds and gardens all year
• Free attendance at our Easter, Summer and Christmas Fairs
• 10% off in the tearoom
• 10% off in the shop
• 10% discount on holiday accommodation including the Walled Garden Caravan Park
• Free one day guest pass for house and grounds
• Free parking
As the Friends’ Pass includes a range of benefits, your gift cannot be treated as a charitable donation. It is, therefore, not eligible for Gift Aid.
Legacies
If you are thinking of leaving a donation in your Will to the Paxton Trust – thank you! You will be providing vital financial support for Paxton House and helping us to maintain and preserve the house and grounds you love for future generations to enjoy.
Every donation makes a vital difference whether it is a percentage of your estate or a fixed sum, and we are sincerely grateful for each one. We can provide you with all the information you need to ensure your legacy is used where it will make the greatest difference. The Paxton Trust is a registered charity, reg. no. SC002177. As a charity, all bequests are exempt from inheritance tax, so a gift in your will to the Paxton House Trust may reduce the tax on your estate.
To discuss a legacy or donation, please call or email us on 01289 386291 or info@paxtonhouse.com. Our registered address is Paxton Trust, Paxton House, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1SZ.
THANK YOU
Volunteering
Another way to help support Paxton House is to give some time in one of our volunteer teams.Volunteers are essential in running the gardens, waterwheel and boat trips and we are incredibly grateful to them for their hard work on our behalf. If you feel you could join them, please get in touch.