The inspiration behind our National Trust Range

Our National Trust range is inspired by a number of beloved buildings and areas of historic interest that have been maintained and protected by the National Trust for over 125 years.  From the Italianate Palace that is the Ickworth estate to the Flatford Mill that inspired many of John Constables most famous pictures, all the features that can be found on our National Trust range have been cherrypicked from a variety of architecture steeped in history and charm.

Before design began 12 years ago we took many trips to National Trust sites to gain inspiration from the character of the grounds. Using a range of inspiration photos we developed eight building designs that became our National Trust range, four sheds and four summerhouses. We have now been partnered with the National Trust for over a decade and we are forever proud of the products and relationship we have been able to develop together.

You will find that all our National Trust buildings feature vertically-sawn cladding as opposed to our standard horizontal cladding. This allows us to be able to recreate the rustic finish that can be found on many buildings located on the grounds of National Trust sites, as can be seen in our inspiration photos. We also took inspiration from these images to design the cast iron door furniture that can be found on our National Trust garden sheds, with our summerhouses featuring Fleur-de-Leys styling.

In our other ranges we typically use heavy-duty felt applied with a propane torch on our roofs, however,  with our National Trust range we use black corrugated roofing to enhance the traditional appeal of our buildings. Our National Trust range is offered in six paint colours, all of which are earthy natural tones that complement any garden space. Some are named after significant figures within the National Trust’s history, such as ‘Disraeli Green’ which is named after Victorian statesmen Benjamin Disraeli, once owner of Hughenden Manor.

Our National Trust sheds feature Georgian style windows whilst our National Trust Summerhouses have leaded windows, both installed with toughened safety glass. All features of our National Trust ranges are purposefully selected, with the intention to create a product that truly embodies the tradition of the British establishment paired with the unwavering quality we offer here at Crane.

We are also extremely proud of the positive impact that our range has on the work of the National Trust. For every purchase of a National Trust building made, we donate a proportion to the charity, meaning we can continue to preserving special places for ever, for everyone.