The key role of the Mountain Heritage Trust (MHT) is to ensure that Britain's unique and fascinating heritage, artefacts, history, traditions and records of the people connected with its mountainous areas are conserved, documented, made accessible and, most importantly, communicated to as wide an audience as possible.

About the Trust

The Mountain Heritage Trust is the only organisation of its kind in the UK. Among its early successes was the establishment of the National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged Discovery Centre, near Penrith. MHT provided curatorial support, sources artefacts for new exhibits and sets up gallery exhibitions; e.g., a major two part exhibition of John Ruskin's paintings and a unique collection of Abraham photographs reproduced from the original glass plates, with the original camera as part of the exhibit. 

MHT also led on the creation of the Everest 'Top of the World Exhibition' at Rheged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest - the only exhibition to celebrate this achievement in the UK and, in 2005, an exhibition to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955. 

The Trust is comprised of appointed officers, Jeff Ford (Chairman), Doug Scott (Vice-Chairman) , David Lanceley (Treasurer), Jeremy Barlow (co-opted member of the National Trust) alongside the trustees, namely, John Porter, Dr Charles Clarke, Jerry Lovatt (Alpine Club) and the British Mountaineering Council and patrons Sir Chris Bonington, John Innerdale and Joe Brown.

MHT Projects and Exhibitions

Mallory Clothing Replica Project
The Mallory replicas challenge the conventional view that Mallory’s clothing and equipment were inadequate for his final 1924 Everest expedition. Based on scientific analysis of textile fragments from the original clothing, recovered on Everest in 1999, the replicas were created to provide a better understanding of the construction of the garments. 

Onwards and Upwards
Funding from the Northern Rock Foundation for a project entitled ‘Onwards and Upwards: The Archive of Ascent’ enabled MHT’s archivist, Maxine Willett, to contact all UK based climbing clubs to assess exactly what records/artefacts exist, where they are held, the condition they are in and whether there is any existing information on club holdings.

Kangchenjunga: Five Treasures of the High Snow
The exhibition is to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in May 1955 by George Band and Joe Brown, and the first light-weight, oxygen-less ascent in 1979 by Doug Scott, Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker.

Chorley Hopkinson Mountaineering Library at Allan Bank, Grasmere
The Chorley Hopkinson Mountaineering Library is an outstanding collection of climbing and mountaineering books built up over three generations of the Chorley family beginning in the mid-nineteenth century.

How you can help

If you know of any equipment, documents, papers, film or photographs which contribute to the history of British Mountains and Mountaineering, then the MHT would like to hear from you:

Kelda Roe

Mountain Heritage Trust

Find out more at www.mountain-heritage.org

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