THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS

Charity overview
Activities - how the charity spends its money
The SPAB was founded in 1877. Today it is the largest, and most technically expert national pressure group fighting to save old buildings from decay, demolition and damage. We run training courses; comment on threats to historic buildings; operate a free technical helpline; conduct research; issue advisory publications and campaign on issues like the need for building maintenance.
Income and expenditure
Data for financial year ending 31 December 2023
Total income:
£2,344,731
Donations and legacies | £1.39m | |
Charitable activities | £714.77k | |
Other trading activities | £118.43k | |
Investments | £112.53k | |
Other | £8.89k |
Total expenditure:
£1,790,104
Raising funds | £205.15k | |
Charitable activities | £1.58m | |
Other | £0 |
£218,939 investments gains (losses)
Total income includes £103,517 from 5 government grant(s)
Charitable expenditure
Charitable expenditure with investment gains
Charitable expenditure
Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.
In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.
Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.
By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.
Raising funds and other expenditure | £205.15k | |
Charitable expenditure | £1.58m | |
Retained for future use | £554.63k |
Raising funds and other expenditure | £205.15k | |
Charitable expenditure | £1.58m | |
Retained for future use | £773.57k |
People

22 Employee(s)
11 Trustee(s)
400 Volunteer(s)
Employees with total benefits over £60,000
Number of employees | |
---|---|
£80k to £90k | 1 |
Fundraising
Trading
Trustee payments
What, who, how, where
- Education/training
- Arts/culture/heritage/science
- Environment/conservation/heritage
- The General Public/mankind
- Makes Grants To Individuals
- Makes Grants To Organisations
- Provides Services
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Throughout England And Wales
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
Governance
- 15 December 2006: Standard registration
- 21 August 2009: Removed (Ceased to exist)
No other names
- Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
- Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
- Complaints handling
- Complaints policy and procedures
- Conflicting interests
- Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
- Financial reserves policy and procedures
- Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
- Internal risk management policy and procedures
- Investing charity funds policy and procedures
- Investment
- Paying staff
- Risk management
- Safeguarding policy and procedures
- Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
- Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
- Social media policy and procedures
- Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
- Trustee expenses policy and procedures
- Volunteer management
Trustees
Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, board member etc. The trustees are responsible for keeping this list up to date and can do this by updating their details as they happen through the online service
11 Trustee(s)
Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | Reporting status of other trusteeships | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David McFerran | Trustee | 08 April 2025 |
|
|
||||
Lucy Newport | Trustee | 20 January 2025 |
|
|
||||
Carole Leith | Trustee | 20 January 2025 |
|
|
||||
Louise Bainbridge | Trustee | 20 January 2025 |
|
|
||||
Charles Wagner | Trustee | 01 February 2024 |
|
|
||||
Morwenna Rosalind Slade | Trustee | 24 July 2023 |
|
|
||||
Georgina Ruth Nayler MBE | Trustee | 13 January 2022 |
|
|
||||
Jo Thwaites | Trustee | 13 January 2022 |
|
|
||||
Tyler Lott-Johnson | Trustee | 13 January 2022 |
|
|
||||
Christopher Wheaton | Trustee | 07 May 2019 |
|
|
||||
Duncan McCallum | Trustee | 02 April 2019 |
|
|
Financial history
Financial period end date
Income / Expenditure | 31/12/2019 | 31/12/2020 | 31/12/2021 | 31/12/2022 | 31/12/2023 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total gross income | £1.54m | £1.34m | £1.60m | £2.02m | £2.34m | |
|
Total expenditure | £1.62m | £1.49m | £1.87m | £1.70m | £1.79m | |
|
Income from government contracts | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
|
Income from government grants | £103.91k | £113.93k | £109.34k | £157.43k | £103.52k | |
|
Income - Donations and legacies | £723.99k | £580.44k | £271.84k | £1.03m | £1.39m | |
|
Income - Other trading activities | £118.46k | £114.43k | £374.22k | £125.91k | £118.43k | |
|
Income - Charitable activities | £588.55k | £551.19k | £862.85k | £779.73k | £714.77k | |
|
Income - Endowments | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Income - Investment | £93.95k | £71.93k | £67.34k | £81.59k | £112.53k | |
|
Income - Other | £11.91k | £23.50k | £26.72k | £9.70k | £8.89k | |
|
Income - Legacies | £529.20k | £462.83k | £113.37k | £880.63k | £1.15m | |
|
Expenditure - Charitable activities | £1.34m | £1.19m | £1.58m | £1.48m | £1.58m | |
|
Expenditure - Raising funds | £283.65k | £301.19k | £294.36k | £220.12k | £205.15k | |
|
Expenditure - Governance | £20.92k | £17.33k | £20.09k | £29.98k | £35.16k | |
|
Expenditure - Grants institution | £55.69k | £6.47k | £83.52k | £0 | £3.90k | |
|
Expenditure - Investment management | £14.99k | £17.44k | £18.31k | £18.49k | £18.00k | |
|
Expenditure - Other | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Assets and liabilities
Definitions for assets and liabilities
These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings.
Long term InvestmentsInvestments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts.
Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value.
Long term investments are held for more than 12 months.
These are assets held generally for less than 12 months such as cash and bank balances, debtors, investments to be sold within the coming year and trading stock.
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liabilityThis is a surplus or deficit in any defined benefit pension scheme operated and represents a potential long-term asset or liability.
Total liabilitiesThese are all the amounts owed by the charity at the balance sheet date to third parties such as bills due but not yet paid, bank overdrafts and loans and mortgages.
Asset / Liability | 31/12/2019 | 31/12/2020 | 31/12/2021 | 31/12/2022 | 31/12/2023 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Own use assets | £413.49k | £346.63k | £277.04k | £411.88k | £594.83k | |
|
Long-term investments | £4.53m | £4.36m | £4.69m | £4.26m | £4.53m | |
|
Other assets | £666.60k | £938.01k | £815.70k | £1.13m | £1.52m | |
|
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Total liabilities | £156.80k | £235.01k | £313.53k | £445.91k | £515.63k |
Accounts and annual returns
Title | Reporting year | Date received | Received | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual return | 31 December 2023 | 23 September 2024 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2023 | 23 September 2024 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2022 | 31 October 2023 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2022 | 31 October 2023 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2021 | 05 October 2022 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2021 | 05 October 2022 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2020 | 26 October 2021 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2020 | 26 October 2021 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2019 | 11 September 2020 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2019 | 11 September 2020 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Governing document
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.
MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES INCORPORATED 15/03/2006 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 23/06/2007 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 14/12/2007 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 26/06/2010 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 01/07/2011 as amended on 02 Oct 2018 as amended on 05 Dec 2023
Charitable objects
THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC GUIDED BY THE PRINCIPLES DECLARED IN THE MANIFESTO OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS WRITTEN BY THE FOUNDERS IN 1877.
Area of benefit
NATIONAL
Linked charities
- AGNES MAY FYLCHE BEQUEST
- BENTON FLETCHER FUND
- DAME MILLICENT FAWCETT BEQUEST
- ERNEST COOK SCHOLARSHIP FUND
- ERNEST E COOK BEQUEST
- EVELYN FITZGERALD STANNUS BEQUEST
- KIBWORTH HARCOURT MILL
- LANGDON HILLS OLD CHURCH ESSEX TRUST
- MISS I TRUMAN BEQUEST
- MISS S F MATHER BEQUEST
- MISS S M TAYLOR BEQUEST
- MISSES NEWCOMBE BEQUEST
- MORRIS BEQUEST
- PATRICK PLUNKET MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP TRUST
- REGINALD RADCLIFFE CORY
- REVEREND GEOFFREY HILL BEQUEST
- SIR BANISTER FLETCHER SCHOLARSHIP
- THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS
- THOMAS HARDY MEMORIAL FUND
- WIND AND WATERMILL SECTION FUND
- 15 December 2006 : Standard registration
- 21 August 2009 : Removed
Contact information
- Address:
-
SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION
ANCIENT BUILDINGS
37 SPITAL SQUARE
LONDON
E1 6DY
- Phone:
- 02073771644
- Email:
- info@spab.org.uk
- Website:
Tell us whether you accept cookies
We use cookies to collect information about how you use your Charity Commission Account, such as pages you visit.
We use this information to better understand how you use our website so that we can improve your user experience and present more relevant content.
Thank you for your feedback. Do you have 5 minutes to tell us what you think of this service?Open in new window