--- title: "Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust — charity 1163252 | CharityCompare" description: "Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust (charity 1163252): income £228k (2025). Check registration, accounts, Gift Aid and official sources on an independent UK profile." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/shire-hall-dorchester-trust retrieved: 2026-10-07T15:53:54.298Z date_note: "Retrieval time is not the filing, register-extract or editorial-review date; cite those dates from the content." license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Registered charity · No. 1163252CIO SH # Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust Independent profile · Charity Commission for England and Wales data Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust is a registered charity in England & Wales. Its register classifications include arts/culture/heritage/science. Register extract 2026-10-04 · Not yet rated [Visit charity website](http://shirehalldorset.org/) [Check official registration](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1163252&subId=0) Work at Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust? [Claim this profile free](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=shire-hall-dorchester-trust&type=claim&name=Shire%20Hall%20(Dorchester)%20Trust) to add your own description, logo and links. At a glance · official register ## What are the key facts about Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust? Reported income · year ending 2025-03-31 £227,772 Reported spending · year ending 2025-03-31 £376,226 Registered charity number 1163252 Status in source extract Registered Charity type CIO Register contact address detail (not service area) High West Street Registered for Gift Aid (HMRC) Yes Website [shirehalldorset.org](http://shirehalldorset.org/) Quick answer Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust (number 1163252) is listed as registered in the Charity Commission snapshot used here. Check the live register for its current position. Registration does not authenticate a particular fundraising appeal or establish the impact of a donation. ## What does Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust do? The Shire Hall (Dorchester)Trust is an independent charity that operates the Historic Courthouse Museum at Dorset's Shire Hall. Our mission is to make Shire Hall into a place that engages visitors with the history of justice and injustice in Dorset and beyond. It inspires people to make a difference to society, politics, and justice for all. Activities reported on the official register · extract 2026-10-04. From the annual return ## Pay, income, Gift Aid and registration details for Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust Answers Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust gave in its annual return to the Charity Commission for the year ending 31 March 2025, plus its register entry. A blank answer in the return is shown as not reported, never as “no”. ### How much are Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's highest-paid staff paid? Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's annual return for the year ending 31 March 2025 reports no employees paid more than £60,000. The register reports headcounts in salary bands, not names. Individual pay is disclosed in the trustees' annual report. ### Can I claim Gift Aid, and are the trustees paid? The register records Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration. [Work out your Gift Aid](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/gift-aid-calculator) Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's annual return for the year ending 31 March 2025 reports that no trustee received remuneration or other benefits from the charity. ### Registration details Registered as a charity 21 August 2015 Where it says it operates Dorset ## Who it supports and how it works **Reported beneficiaries:** The General Public/mankind. **Reported activities:** Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space. Classifications supplied to the register; extract 2026-10-04. These broad categories do not establish eligibility or current capacity. Use the official contact details to ask about access, referrals and service area. ## What causes is Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust registered for? Arts/culture/heritage/science ## Why is there no Clarity Score for Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust yet? Our dataset does not yet contain the detailed filing history needed to score Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust. An unrated profile is a gap in our assessment, not a negative judgement about the charity. The register facts and available annual-return disclosures above remain useful. Payment never influences a rating. [How scoring works](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What should you check before donating to Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust? - Match the registered name and number to the appeal. A real charity number can be copied by someone impersonating the organisation. - Open the current register entry to check status, contact details and available accounts. This profile reflects a dated extract. - Read the charity’s annual report for its work and results. An unrated profile means we lack a full assessment; it is not a negative rating. [How to read charity accounts](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-read-accounts) · [Explore rated charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity-directory) ## Is this your charity? Claim this profile free to submit your description and an optional logo for review, correct details, or respond publicly. Approved claims show attribution and claimed status. Optional paid plans add enhanced media, reporting and labelled featured visibility by tier; they never change a score. [Claim this profile — free](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=shire-hall-dorchester-trust&type=claim&name=Shire%20Hall%20(Dorchester)%20Trust) [Visit charity website](http://shirehalldorset.org/) ## Frequently asked questions Is Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust a legitimate charity? The register data used for this profile lists Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust as a registered charity (number 1163252) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Check the current register entry. A real charity number does not verify a fundraiser or appeal, and registration is not an impact rating. What is Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's charity number? Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's charity number is 1163252. Check that number on the Charity Commission register or this CharityCompare profile before you donate. How do I check charity number 1163252? Search 1163252 on the Charity Commission for England and Wales register or on CharityCompare. Confirm the registered name matches the organisation asking for money — scammers sometimes reuse real charity numbers. What does Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust do? The Shire Hall (Dorchester)Trust is an independent charity that operates the Historic Courthouse Museum at Dorset's Shire Hall. Our mission is to make Shire Hall into a place that engages visitors with the history of justice and injustice in Dorset and beyond. It inspires people to make a difference to society, politics, and justice for all. Does Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust have reviews and complaints? CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust. This basic profile confirms registration and register facts. Rated charities also show a filing-based Clarity Score. For formal complaints, contact the Charity Commission for England and Wales or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How can I donate to Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust? Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's website listed in our register data is http://shirehalldorset.org. Verify it against the current register before donating. CharityCompare does not process donations or take a commission; the charity's payment provider may charge fees. How much is Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's chief executive paid? The Charity Commission register does not name individual salaries. Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's annual return for the year ending 31 March 2025 reports no employees paid more than £60,000. Charities normally disclose the chief executive's pay, or the pay of their highest-paid staff, in the remuneration note of the trustees' annual report and accounts. Can I claim Gift Aid on a donation to Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust? The register records Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration. Are Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's trustees paid? Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust's annual return for the year ending 31 March 2025 reports that no trustee received remuneration or other benefits from the charity. When was Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust registered as a charity? Shire Hall (Dorchester) Trust was entered on the register on 21 August 2015. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales register extract dated 2026-10-04, used under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Always verify current details on the [official register entry](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1163252&subId=0).