Inspiring stories
Every changemaker in history started somewhere
From a young age, Isaac Newton was considered unusual. As a child he liked to travel around in a small, four-wheeled cart, which ran by turning a crank. He carried out risky experiments such as squeezing his eyeball with a blunt needle and staring into the sun (please don’t try this at home or anywhere else!). And he preferred having quiet time to think over playing or socialising with others.
He loved his education, and he was probably frustrated when the Great Plague hit Cambridge during his time as a student there. He was forced to flee back to Woolsthorpe Manor until the pandemic had passed. At the age of 23, the sudden changes and restrictions that the lockdown brought might have felt like an annoying interruption.
But as it turned out, being stuck at home offered Newton two key things: time and space. Away from the structured curriculum and distractions of university, he had the chance to think about all the unanswered questions in his head. The time he spent at Woolsthorpe Manor during the plague later became known as his ‘year of wonders’. It’s when he made discoveries about gravity, motion, calculus and optics – when small thoughts grew into world-changing revelations.
If you’ve got an idea you want to explore, the Time + Space Award is for you. Click the link below to tell us your big idea and be in with a chance of winning access to inspiring spaces and dedicated time with mentors to explore your idea.
Although he spent time away at school and university, a lot of Newton’s greatest lessons and discoveries happened when he was at his childhood home, Woolsthorpe Manor. It was in Woolsthorpe Manor’s orchard that he saw an apple fall from a tree one day and was inspired to question why.
And he made other world-changing discoveries here, too. He wasn’t interested in farming sheep as his father had been and wanted to take a different direction to the one his family expected. He spent his time at Woolsthorpe Manor trying to calculate the speed of the wind, designing waterwheels, or playing with the light that came through his bedroom window.
The National Trust exists to care for places like Woolsthorpe Manor, keep their extraordinary histories alive and hopefully inspire new generations of curiosity. If you win this competition, we’ll take you on a private tour of Woolsthorpe Manor and give you time to explore your big idea there.
Lockdown interrupted your plans.
You have ideas that you’d like to explore.
You want to take a different path to the one that’s expected of you.
From the first letter she wrote to her friend as a child about her pet rabbit, Peter, to her 23rd published book, Beatrix Potter always had an affinity with animals and nature.
Growing up, she went on many family holidays to the Lake District and fell in love with its natural beauty. Later in life she ended up working closely with the National Trust and played a big part in helping to maintain the unspoilt landscape that we see at the Lake District today.
In 1905, using money she’d made from her stories, Beatrix bought her Lake District farmhouse and writing retreat, Hill Top. She filled it with mementos and antiques, local furniture and her favourite paintings. The rustic garden inspired many of her illustrations and if you visit the house today, you’ll see views you recognise from the little books.
She generously left Hill Top to the National Trust in her will – along with other areas of land adding up to 4,000 acres – and you can now visit. Learn more about Beatrix Potter’s story on our website.
If you have a creative idea inspired by a personal passion, the Time + Space Award could be for you.
‘I was living at 20 Forthlin Road when I first met John Lennon, and it was here that he and I rehearsed with the Beatles.
From this house I would walk through the golf course up to Woolton where John lived with his Aunt Mimi. As she would usually be home during the day but my dad was at work, John and I would sometimes ‘sag off’ school and go back to my house to write many of our early songs. We wrote ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ in the parlour of 20 Forthlin Road.
I was still living in the house when the Beatles found worldwide fame, so my memories of the house are closely connected with those times. I would draw on these memories of the house and the neighbourhood when writing songs: Penny Lane was nearby, the barber shop and fire station were all real places that found their way into my lyrics.’ – Paul McCartney
Sometimes, the spaces we spend time in can become sources of inspiration. You could start by visiting The Beatles' Childhood Homes.
Octavia started her first job at 14 years old. She was in charge of the workroom at a Christian socialist co-operative that her mother managed. Shocked by the poverty that the women and girls there had to endure, her passion for improving working-class living conditions began.
She met people who shared her ambitions for improving society and, with their support, started buying neglected buildings in London. She began overhauling the properties and transforming their tenants’ lives while also campaigning to look after outdoor spaces.
As she continued to campaign against urban development, she saw that the urban masses needed more open spaces. So, she joined up with Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to introduce the National Trust – to protect nature, beauty and history for everyone, for ever.
Octavia had one big ambition in her life: to improve people’s lives. And with support from others along the way, she did.
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