Museum development
Restore historic rooms, strengthen collections care and improve exhibitions.
Leave a gift in your Will
Protect the house for future generations.
A future gift can support conservation, collections, learning and the long-term resilience of The Merchant’s House.
A future gift
A lasting contribution to Marlborough’s heritage
A gift in your Will can help protect the building, collections, education and community work for future generations.
This is a deeply personal decision and there is no expectation. The Trust can explain its plans and charitable work but cannot give legal advice or draft a Will.
Why a legacy matters now
A practical plan for the next chapter.
The Trust’s three-year direction is focused on the work required to keep the house relevant, resilient and open to future generations.
Visitor experience
Welcome more people, expand school visits and make interpretation more useful.
Fundraising
Grow Friends, partnerships and voluntary support for conservation and learning.
Financial sustainability
Build the reliable income and organisational capacity needed for long-term care.
Read the Trust’s 2026–2028 plan and the practical framework behind these priorities.
How a legacy could help
Future gifts can support the areas most important to the long-term plan.
Conservation
Historic rooms, roofs, chimneys, windows, decoration and essential building systems.
Collections & learning
Care, research, exhibitions, interpretation and educational visits.
Financial resilience
The people and day-to-day capability needed to keep the organisation effective.
Next steps
Arrange a confidential conversation
Contact the Trust Manager at trustmanager@themerchantshouse.co.uk or call 01672 511491. The Trust can provide its registered charity details and discuss whether you would like a gift to be unrestricted or directed to an agreed purpose.
Ask the Trust Manager about current plans, priority projects and any forthcoming informal legacy-information events. Where independent solicitors are present, they can answer general questions in a relaxed setting; personal legal advice should always come from your own qualified adviser.
Use a qualified solicitor or professional adviser to create or change a Will. Keep the Trust informed only to the extent you are comfortable; a stated intention is not legally binding and circumstances can change.
