Garrett's Charity

The Garrett’s Charity: A Brief History

Registered Charity No. 1053847

The Garrett’s Charity owns St Thomas’ Chapel, the adjoining Heritage Rooms and all the land bounded by the car park, the grassed area to the east and the out-buildings, land and memorial garden to the west of the Chapel. The buildings are grade II listed and nestle at the heart of the community of Heighington in Lincolnshire.

Thomas Garrett, a local man, died around 1620 and is buried in Washingborough. He was a bachelor with no dependents and in his will, amongst other bequests, he set up a trust fund to found a school in the Chapel of Ease for the boys of Heighington, Washingborough and Branston mainly for the teaching of Grammar and Latin.

In 1865 the Chapel underwent refurbishment from its original brick design to a more traditional stone built church which was achieved, at least in part, by casing the brick building in stone. Pews were installed for the first time and stained glass was inserted in the East Window in memory of the mother of Charles Seely: he was the local MP and lived in Heighington Hall.

Thomas Garrett had specified in his will that if the school ceased to be held in the Chapel of Ease, the money should go to the “chiefest men of the town.” To avoid this, legal advice was taken and a school room built joining onto the Chapel building, entered from the chapel by a door in the tower. Later alterations were the addition of a second smaller room and the closure of the doorway by the tower and the creation of a new one near the chancel step. This is the configuration we recognise today.

The County Council eventually took over the running of the school (known as Heighington Endowed Boys School) and boys continued to be taught here until 1976 when the junior boys moved into the new Millfield School together with the junior girls who moved from their school (formerly on the site of the Jubilee Hall.) Those over 11 years transferred to senior schools.

With the closure of the boys’ school and the requirement of the Trustees to follow the terms of Thomas Garrett’s will, the Trustees met with the Charity Commission to re-establish the Charity as the Garrett’s Charity No.1053847. There are nine Managing Trustees including the Rector and representatives of the Parochial Church Council and Heighington Parish Council as well as four members of the local community. The aim of the charity is to further religious, educational and other charitable work within the locality.

Around the same time North Kesteven District Council was seeking to establish a series of Heritage Rooms across the district and thus the school rooms were leased to NKDC for a period of 25 years from 1993. This ceased in 2018 and the Heritage Rooms reverted to being managed by Garrett’s Charity.

Today the Heritage Rooms are used for a wide range of activities from arts and crafts including stained glass, painting, embroidery, patchwork to amateur dramatics and exhibitions. Learn more about these activities on the Heritage Rooms page.