The fragile state of much of the working class housing in Bradford on Avon in the 1950s and 1960s was a local embarrassment. One Government enquiry described Bradford’s slums as being ‘as bad as the worst inner-city slums in northern England’ and residents were fearful that the local authority would demolish them.

In 1964, the town’s Preservation Trust was founded and 51 years later its work still adheres to its main objectives: to maintain, foster and encourage the particular character of the scenic, historic and architectural values of the town’s buildings.

While the balance and nature of the trust’s work has shifted over the past five decades, success is reflected in that there are not as many derelict buildings in need of restoration, despite there being more than 500 members.

The trust now combines an interest in restoring historic buildings alongside wider civic interests, including commenting on the town’s planning applications.

A Preservation Society was first formed in 1959, with Bradfordian Lord Methuen as its president. The trust created five years later in response to plans to restore and convert Priory Barn.

Much of its work since has involved restoring buildings to sell privately such as Silver Street House. Renovations began in 1975 and the flats were sold on long leases. The Preservation Trust still retains a ground-floor room for its own use. It also restored a terrace of neglected shops, the Pippet Buildings, on Market Street.

Over the past 50 years the trust has diverted its attention to landscaping work – introduced to members in 1985. It has since planted more than 65,000 bulbs and nearly 2,000 trees and shrubs including a successful project planting hedges in Poulton.

The trust’s most recent restoration work was at Barton Grange Farm and the West Barn, opened by the Prince of Wales. The work, between 1998 and 2003, involved members rebuilding West Barn and converting it into a meeting room alongside a medieval farmyard.

Its latest project is to restore for public display the Iron Duke, a 19th century calendering machine – made for the Kingston Mills rubber factory – with the Museum Society.