English Heritage vs National Trust — What's the Difference?

Both look after historic sites across England, both sell an annual membership, and both show up constantly in our castles listings — but they're separate organisations with different collections and different membership terms.

English Heritage

A charity that cares for over 400 historic sites in England — many of them ruined castles, Roman remains and monuments in state ownership. Sites are commonly marked "(EH)" in our listings. English Heritage membership gives free entry to their own sites and is generally the better fit if most of what you visit is castles, abbeys and ancient monuments.

National Trust

A separate charity, generally focused on historic houses, gardens, countryside and coastline — often still lived-in-feeling stately homes rather than ruins, plus a large amount of open countryside and coastal land. Sites are commonly marked "(NT)" in our listings. National Trust membership suits visitors who want gardens and countryside as much as buildings.

Which one should you join?

Neither membership covers the other's sites, so the right answer depends on where you actually go. Look through the "(EH)" and "(NT)" tags on our castles page and the castle entries in your nearest region guide — if one organisation clearly dominates the places you'd actually visit, that's the membership worth buying. Current prices and full site lists are on each organisation's own website, since these change year to year.