The National Trust has stopped public visits to a medieval manor house to focus on renting it as holiday accommodation full-time, as access to properties is quietly limited under cost-cutting measures.
Volunteers at four Devon properties have been warned that sites face reduced opening, a booking-only model, repurposing or closure as the Trust tries to reduce operating costs after losing £200 million since the start of the pandemic.
With no public announcement, the heritage charity told staff that visiting access to 14th century manor house Shute Barton will be stopped and the site will “operate solely as a holiday cottage”.
The Shute Parochial Church Council has claimed that only a “select few… with means” could stay in the roughly £2,000 per week suites, and by shutting out visitors to focus on revenue the Trust was “blatantly ignoring its raison d’etre”.
The Trust will also move Overbeck’s, A La Ronde,
My sister was rather put out when her mother in law sold that last to the NT. To find that access is now restricted….it’s an exceedingly fine location even if slightly odd as a house…..
Financial trouble? Bet they got enough cash to lecture us all on our structural racism
They want to be a posh Inter-Continental that is fine with me. They shouldn’t be a charity with all the tax benefits they get.
This was inevitable, regardless of the pandemic. It started off protecting historic buildings and beautiful countryside. Then it moved into the lifestyle business, selling a corporate version of middle Englishness. Then it became woke, scouring its resources for evidence of lesbianism, strong female role models, and black servants. I imagine the next step will be to demolish all properties with any link to slavery.
Someone needs to kick the NT up the backside if it is to be worth saving.
Got to keep the board in the manner to which they are accustomed I suppose. O’Sullivan’s Law in action.
Bloody Hell, Bastards! I stayed at Overbeck’s over 60 years ago as a kid when it was a Youth Hostel, and luckily I visited A La Ronde a couple of years ago. No more visits to either now
I wonder whether the NT is already suffering a reduced stream of donations and bequests, because of being too lefty. I do hope so.
I was a member of the National Trust back in the 60s. I gave up membership over the infighting about “Operation Neptune.” ( I think that was the name,they were buying up all the coastline not already theirs ) I thought then and have not changed my mind since, that the Trust is run for the benefit of those running the Trust.If you look into the background of many of the “Managers” you will find many common links. Rather incestuos.