National Land Fund
The National Land Fund of the United Kingdom was created in 1946 to secure culturally significant property for the nation as a memorial to the dead of World War II.
Proposed by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Hugh Dalton, the fund was confirmed in section 48 of the Finance Act 1946 with a sum of £50 million.[1]
The fund was never really utilised or developed in the manner that Dalton had envisaged. Nevertheless, despite this under-utilisation, substantial areas of land and numerous buildings were donated to various charities, of which a principal beneficiary was the National Trust. The value of the fund was reduced to £10 million in 1957.[2]
The Fund was abolished in the National Heritage Act 1980, replaced by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
References
- "Finance Act 1946". 1 August 1946. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- Rickwood, P.W. (1987). "The National Land fund, 1946–80: the failure of a policy initiative". Leisure Studies. 6: 15–23. doi:10.1080/02614368700390021.