Trust’s playground push ‘is damaging stately homes’

Owners of Covid-hit estates condemn focus on visitor centres and outdoor facilities for children

THE owners of landed estates have accused the National Trust of damaging their Covid-hit fortunes by switching its focus from historic houses to becoming “a gateway to the outdoors”.

Many stately homes and gardens have been shut since late March due to lockdown restrictions, leaving owners struggling to make ends meet.

The body that advises 150 of the largest landed estates and their families has hit out at the Trust for “compounding what is already a precarious situation”.

It comes after a leaked document suggested the Trust, which has five million members, had presided over an “outdated mansion experience” that served “a loyal but dwindling audience”.

The internal discussion paper, “Towards A 10-Year Vision”, suggested the organisation “dial down” its role as a major cultural institution and shift its focus from historic houses to become “a gateway to the outdoors”. It also recommended putting part of the Trust’s collections into storage to free up space.

On Thursday, the Trust announced the pandemic had cost it £200million, leaving 1,200 staff facing redundancy.

Alex Gibson-Watt, managing director of advisory firm John Lamb Hill Oldridge, said the Trust’s emphasis on “visitor centres” and external attractions such as adventure playgrounds was “damaging” stately homes and gardens.

“What we are hearing from clients who haven’t handed their houses over to the National Trust is that their modernised ‘visitor centre’ approach means that these days, when people visit landed estates, it’s much less about having a tour of the house and garden,” she said.

“But it is exactly what owners have come to rely on. That’s all falling by the wayside, which is compounding what is already a precarious situation.

“The National Trust’s strategy to reduce the number of houses open to the public and focus on visitor attractions is damaging to landed estates in this country.”

She said families who had owned estates for generations were increasingly facing an uphill struggle as their buildings were often heavily listed and required constant maintenance.

Owners have also been affected by firms and tenants being unable to pay rent for their properties and by the fall in holiday lets being booked during lockdown. Cancelled weddings and social events had been badly affected too.

“People forget that while these owners are asset rich, they are often cash poor,” Ms Gibson-Watt added.

Reports that Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is planning tax rises and the abolition of the Capital Gains Tax relief uplift on death are also worrying the owners. Some have been hit by a 15 per cent hike in insurance premiums in the wake of the outbreak.

In a statement the Trust admitted it wanted to move away from a “one-sizefits-all standard visitor model”, adding: “The Trust document on a vision for places and experiences was an internal discussion document to look at possible ways forward as we emerge from the Coronavirus crisis. It is not a strategy.

“We remain committed to, and passionate about, the country house and arts and heritage. We will not dumb down.

“But we also want to ensure there is something for everyone in our houses – we need to make sure they are meaningful and relevant for the 21st century.”