Misplaced Trust
Sir: Charles Moore is as ever bang on target (The Spectator’s Notes, 26 September). National Trust members have had a raw deal this year, but so have many loyal staff and volunteers. It should not surprise any visitor to a National Trust property that a very rich person built it and lived there. No doubt they achieved great financial wealth by being quick-witted, entrepreneurial and above all ruthless in their dealing. They likely exploited everyone irrespective of race or creed. How many mill owners sent ‘boys’ up chimneys, down mines and into the machinery to clear blockages?
The National Trust is a curator of buildings, artefacts and estates. They do not have a remit to delve into the background of their benefactors and make judgments. They should consult the membership before they get out of their lane.
Nicholas Dawson
London W12
Exceedingly good
Sir: Reflecting on Charles Moore’s article (26 September), I wondered how Rudyard Kipling has so far avoided ‘re-presentation and interpretation’.
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