Strawberry Hill House - Chair of Trustees

The Trust is now seeking an excellent candidate to join the Board of Trustees as Chair to support Strawberry Hill House & Garden in achieving this objective. As Chair, you will help the charity meet its growth ambitions and deliver the vision and leadership needed.

The Organisation

This is an exciting time to be part of Strawberry Hill House’s future. 
After the challenges of 2020-2023, during which the heritage environment has significantly changed, Strawberry Hill House is now setting a new course, under a new Executive Director, with an emphasis on developing a sustainable business model which combines the original mandate, to make Horace Walpole’s legacy available to all, with the need to develop a commercial programme of enhanced fundraising and donor support, events and community engagement, while minimising costs. 
Built as Horace Walpole’s summer residence in the eighteenth century, Strawberry Hill House is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival architecture with a wonderful story to tell through its inhabitants, design, collection and restoration. The Strawberry Hill Trust (“the charity”), formed as an independent charity in 2002 by local supporters and volunteers, now has a 125-year lease from the freeholder St Mary’s University (SMU). It was entrusted with the aim of restoring, maintaining and making accessible to the public Walpole’s home as a hub for keeping his name, spirit and contribution alive. 
Since 2007 The Strawberry Hill Trust has undertaken a major £10 million restoration of Horace Walpole’s iconic gothic villa and gardens in Twickenham. The first stage was completed in 2010, with significant support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (now the NLHF), when the house and garden were opened to the public.

The Role

The Chair leads and guides the Board of Trustees and the Executive Director runs the House. Together, they develop and execute the strategic direction of The Strawberry Hill Trust, ensuring that Strawberry Hill House & Garden builds the strongest local, national and international reputation as a well-run and interesting museum. Of paramount importance in achieving this vision is a robust financial strategy and the strongest commitment to playing a leading role in the local community. The Trust relies on the Chair to ensure that key decisions are made, recorded and actioned.

Person specification

•    Ensuring that The Strawberry Hill Trust fulfils its legal responsibilities as laid out in its Articles of Association, as a company limited by guarantee and as a charity registered in England and Wales;
•    Ensuring that The Strawberry Hill Trust pursues its objects as laid down in the Articles of Association and that its assets are used exclusively in pursuit of these objectives;
•    Approving the annual returns submitted to the Charity Commission and Company’s House
•    Overseeing the development of strategy and approving the strategic direction and policies of The Strawberry Hill Trust;
•    Monitoring the performance of The Strawberry Hill Trust against agreed key objectives;
•    Ensuring that The Strawberry Hill Trust remains financially viable and that the financial and reputational risks to which it is exposed are appropriately monitored and mitigated;
•    Ensuring that the Risk Register is actively managed and regularly reviewed;
•    Agreeing the annual operating budget and monitoring financial performance in-year;
•    Ensuring that The Strawberry Hill Trust is following best practice in both charity governance and business management;
•    Providing expertise and insight into key issues.

Please download the Candidate Information Pack for further information.

How to Apply:

If you would like to apply for this fantastic opportunity, please provide the following with your application:

•    An up-to-date CV

•    A supporting statement of no more than 2 sides of A4, detailing why you would like to be considered, your relevant experience and expertise and what you think you can bring to the role.

If you have any difficulty uploading your application or if you would like to have an informal and confidential discussion about the role, alternatively please contact Melissa Baxter.

Closing date for applications: Monday 22nd July 2024  
Interviews and informal conversations with Strawberry Hill: Wednesday 31st July 2024