---
title: "Knebworth House Education and Pres… rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74/100 (Needs improvement). Latest accounts 2025: income £309k. Reg 289346."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust
retrieved: 2026-08-18T06:39:09.023Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a good charity?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£309k total income, 92% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Stevenage · SG3 6PY |
Reg [289346](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.knebworthhouse.com/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/289346)

Donate

## How can you give to KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.knebworthhouse.com/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=289346)

## What does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust do?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is a registered charity (no. 289346) working in environment in Stevenage · SG3 6PY. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 92% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 35 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

Summarised from public filings — Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust)

**In short:** KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST scores 74 out of 100 (3 stars). 92% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust has a Clarity Score of 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 289346. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Environment. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £309k, with 92% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 35 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

74/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

92%

latest year · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£309k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

35 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£538.1 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) ·
0% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST scores higher than.

Income band (£100k–£500k)58thpercentile

**Scores higher than 58% of 972 charities in its income band** · 74/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).

Environment charities43rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 43% of 460 charities in this cause** · 74/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources:
[Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/),
[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and
[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/).
[Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).

## What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

93/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 100% | 15/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 6 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts |

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

40/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 53% | 35 months · 8/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 8% · 4/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 92% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 50% | 6 volunteers · 5/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's Clarity Score?

74/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency

40/100

Financial Health

100/100

Financial Efficiency

50/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight6 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies7/10 pts

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

40/100

Reserves (months of cash)35 months · 8/15 pts

Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets8% · 4/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio92% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

50/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio6 volunteers · 5/10 pts

## How much does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £309k | — |
| Total expenditure | £403k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £403k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.

## What trust indicators does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

- ✓ Accounts filed on time

up to date · last filing 24 June 2026

- ✓ Trustee board size (3–12)

6 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

[Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 289346

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

[View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/289346)

### Trustees & officers

- THE HONOURABLE RICHARD STUCLEY LYTTON COBBOLD
- EDWARD LYTTON COBBOLD since 2014
- Morwenna Gray Lytton Cobbold since 2018
- ROBERT HARRISON ICETON RUTTER Chair · since 2011
- John Francis Dudley Hoy since 2024
- Marcus Louis Taverner since 2023

100
How we score charities
+The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

[Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

## How have Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's finances changed over five years?

- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

## What are the key facts about Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust?

Overall score

74/100 (3★)

Income

£309k

Cause spend

92% of expenditure

Reg number

289346

Scope

Local (stevenage)

Reserves

35 months

Trustees

6

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust) [More environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

- [environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment)
- [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education)
- [Charities in Stevenage](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/stevenage)

### Similar environment charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [ESSEX AND SUFFOLK RIVERS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/essex-and-suffolk-rivers-trust) 100/100 · £963k
- [GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/great-western-society-limited) 99/100 · £3.9m
- [THE MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-mid-norfolk-railway-preservation-trust) 99/100 · £2.5m
- [THE SHARPHAM TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-sharpham-trust) 99/100 · £2.2m

## How can you share Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's rating?

Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Knebworth%20House%20Education%20and%20Preservation%20Trust%20%E2%80%94%2074%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fknebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fknebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fknebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Knebworth%20House%20Education%20and%20Preservation%20Trust%20%E2%80%94%2074%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fknebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust) Copy link

Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust.

For this charity

## How do you add Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's rating to your site?

Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology).

BadgeScore widget

[♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 74/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust)

Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere<a href="https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/knebworth-house-education-and-preservation-trust" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:9px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;border:1px solid #e7e2d6;border-radius:10px;padding:8px 12px;background:#fff;color:#0f0f0f;">
<span style="display:inline-flex;width:24px;height:24px;align-items:center;justify-content:center;border-radius:6px;background:#C74C05;color:#fff;font-weight:700;font-size:14px;">♥</span>
<span style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;line-height:1.25;">
<span style="font-size:11px;color:#5a5a5a;">CharityCompare Clarity Score</span>
<span style="font-weight:700;font-size:14px;">74/100 <span style="color:#C74C05;">★★★</span><span style="color:#cfc8ba;">★★</span></span>
</span>
</a>Copy code

## What red flags does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a good charity? + Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 92% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 289346). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/289346. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity number? + Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity number is 289346. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity rating? + Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 92% of Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's total spending went to charitable activities. That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 0% of total expenditure at Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust receive? + Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust reported £309k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust based? + Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is listed at Stevenage · SG3 6PY, focused on environment.

How does CharityCompare score Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? + This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.