Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited
About
The Charity's objects are to preserve, restore, maintain, operate, exhibit, educate, instruct, stimulate, promote and encourage interest in heritage railways, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, artifacts and equipment and to foster and support railway preservation. It provides strategic direction to its subsidiary, Mid-Hants Railway Ltd, which operates the Watercress Line.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
Charity Commission (UK)Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the Charity Commission.
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 95% of the 19,540 arts & culture charities in the United Kingdom with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- Established in 1982, it predates 81% of the arts & culture charities in the United Kingdom GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
- Its integrity score of 86 places it in the top 1% of the 21,809 arts & culture charities in the United Kingdom GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its registration. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
5 years on file from Charity Commission (UK): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is in United Kingdom, a TGE (Transnational Giving Europe) member country. Dutch donors can route gifts via Stichting Transnational Giving Europe to receive Dutch ANBI-equivalent deductibility, subject to TGE's 5% pass-through fee.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is registered in United Kingdom. US donors generally cannot deduct gifts to non-US charities directly. To claim a deduction, route the gift through a US 'Friends of' fiscal sponsor or a donor-advised fund that performs equivalency determination (IRS Rev. Proc. 92-94).
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
5 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Trustpilot
My wife and I both did the Driver Experience and thoroughly enjoyed it. The enthusiasm of everyone at the Watercress line was infectious, from the lady in the café who took our names and made us a cup of tea, to Stephanie (Steve) in the signal box, Bill the fireman and Neal the driver. Both of us were a little anxious before the experience, but everyone was quick to help if anything wasn’t quite right. This gave us a lot of confidence. Some of the controls in the signal box and on the engine took some effort to move, but immediately we had even the slightest problem, the staff were on it and resolved it for us. Stephanie in the signal box was very slight, I must be twice her weight, but I struggled. Impressively she threw her weight into moving the heavy points. She enthusiastically explained the principles of safety on a single line railway. Fireman was the most physically demanding role and Bill kindly stepped in every time I was tiring and filled in the “holes” I’d left in the grate. This made it quite doable, even as a retired pencil pusher! Trying to keep the grate covered requires a surprising amount of skill (which I didn’t have, but I learnt a lot all the same). The balancing act between keeping the smoke clean, covering the grate, having enough coal to get up the hill and keeping the boiler pressure high enough but not too high is clearly quite a tightrope act. “Dave”, sometimes known as “Thomas” the tank engine was used for the driver experience and weighs around 50 tons. Needless to say, my wife parked it precisely on a sixpence, and my parking was a “little less” accurate. The obvious challenges like the lack of space and the heat on the footplate are rapidly forgotten. But this isn’t an experience for the feint hearted. A great sense of achievement, well worth the cost and the effort. The day ended with an inevitable certificate and photo in front of the train. We stayed a couple of nights at the Swan Hotel, Alresford which is in an ideal location for A
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 8 similar arts & culture charities in United Kingdom.
Cause areas in United Kingdom
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities · 5 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Alresford, England, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 1982 and has been operating for 44 years. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds registration with the UK Fundraising Regulator, which means it has committed to the Code of Fundraising Practice and accountable fundraising standards. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 86/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports £4M in annual revenue. 5 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected. The charity has 1 community review with an average rating of 5.0/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 3.7/5 based on 1 review.
Based on official filings, Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited has £4M in annual revenue. It allocates 8% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 77% for arts & culture charities in United Kingdom. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of £814K. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
The Charity's objects are to preserve, restore, maintain, operate, exhibit, educate, instruct, stimulate, promote and encourage interest in heritage railways, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, artifacts and equipment and to foster and support railway preservation. It provides strategic direction to its subsidiary, Mid-Hants Railway Ltd, which operates the Watercress Line. Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1982.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the most common incorporated form for UK charities. It is registered with both Companies House and the Charity Commission, and must file annual accounts with both regulators. Directors (who are also charity trustees) have limited liability.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited's registered charity number is 284406. You can use it to look up the organization on the Charity Commission register.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is located in Alresford, England, United Kingdom. The organization was established in 1982 and has been active for 44 years.
Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is based in Alresford in England. The Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) is the primary regulator. Scotland has its own regulator (OSCR), and Northern Ireland has the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). A charity registered with the CCEW may operate across the whole of the UK or internationally.
Check any charity before you give
Search 7.9M+ nonprofits across 100+ countries. Free, and no account needed.
Report an issue
Tell us what's wrong with this charity's page. We review every report and typically reply within 2 business days.
Report sent
Thanks for flagging this. Our team will review it.
Press Esc to close
Save Watercress Line Heritage Railway T…?Download this profile as a PDFVisit Watercress Line Heritage Railway T…'s websiteLog a donation to Watercress Line Heritage Railway T…
Create a free GiveRadar account to save charities and track them in your dashboard.Create a free GiveRadar account to download charity profiles as a clean PDF.Create a free GiveRadar account to open charity websites and keep your research in one place.Create a free GiveRadar account to record donations and track your giving over time.
Quick facts about Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited
- What is Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited?
- Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited is a arts & culture charitable company based in Alresford, United Kingdom. The Charity's objects are to preserve, restore, maintain, operate, exhibit, educate, instruct, stimulate, promote and encourage interest in heritage railways, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, artifacts and equipment and to foster and support railway preservation. It provides strategic direction to its subsidiary, Mid-Hants Railway Ltd, which operates the Watercress Line.
- When was Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited founded?
- Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited was founded in 1982.
- Where is Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited located?
- Headquartered in Alresford, England, United Kingdom.
- What is Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is £3.7 million. 8% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited trustworthy?
- Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited's website?
- https://www.watercressline.co.uk
- Are donations to Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust Limited tax-deductible?
- Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.