Governance
The trust was established by Royal Charter in 1282, and the sole trustee is the City of London Corporation. The trustee does not own the property of the trust — it may only be used for the legitimate purposes for which the fund was created.
The Bridge House Estates are run by a committee of the City of London Corporation ("The City Lands & Bridge House Estates") the chairman of which holds the honorific title of "Chief Commoner" and therefore cannot be an Alderman. The chairmanship is held for only one year as the responsibilities are so onerous.
In addition to its Royal Charter of 1282, the Bridge House Estates operates with respect to various legislative powers e.g. the Blackfriars Bridge Act 1863, the Blackfriars and Southwark Bridge Act 1867, the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885 for its maintenance role and for its general charitable role under the Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 1995 (Statutory Instrument 1047), and the Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 2001 (Statutory Instrument 4017).
Read more about this topic: Bridge House Estates
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