Petition against closure of historic house to public
APETITION has been launched to keep medieval manor house Shute Barton open to the public.
The house in the village of the same name near Axminster dates from the 14th century and was owned and lived in by Cecily Bonville, whose family built the property.
Her great-granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, was Queen of England for nine days in 1553 before she was executed. It is believed she may have visited the property.
Now, as revealed by the Western Morning News last week, National Trust bosses have told volunteers that the property is to be closed to visitors to allow it to operate ‘solely as a holiday cottage’.
The property’s website says it is available to rent for nearly £1,000 for three nights in April. That price increases to more than £3,700 for a seven-night stay in September next year.
In all, four much-loved National Trust properties in Devon could be closed to the public or open on a booking-only model as the charity battles to claw back huge losses caused by the coronavirus lockdowns.
Historian Dr Bijan Omrani, who is also a Shute resident and is the acting chairman of the Parochial Church Council, said the closure of Shute Barton ‘does not make any sense’ and added that its closure put Britain’s heritage ‘at risk’.
A petition which has been launched in a bid to overturn the decision has received more than 600 signatures.
In a statement made on the petition page, a spokesperson said: “Shute Barton is one of England’s most historic non-fortified manor houses. Its history goes back to before the Wars of the Roses.
“Two of England’s most powerful women of the Medieval and Tudor Periods – Lady Jane Grey, the ‘nine days’ Queen of England”, and Lady Cecily Bonville – are both associated with it. It has the largest fireplace in England. It is an integral part of the region’s history and identity. It is also an essential part of community life.
“When open to the public, the local 13th-century church, St Michael’s Shute, provides tea and cake to the visitors, raising much-needed thousands of pounds for its upkeep. This loss puts the church in jeopardy.
“Local volunteers have always acted as guides, and the local primary school took part in open days. The community are devastated by this decision, which means that an integral part of its history will now only be available to a few rich people from the outside.”
A spokesperson for the National Trust said: “Like most charities, the National Trust has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. We are facing financial losses of more than £200 million, meaning we have had to look at how we can continue our conservation work and offer our supporters the best possible experience over the coming years, with far fewer resources.
“Shute Barton has been a holiday house and will remain as holiday accommodation. It was also open to the public for four weekends a year. We will continue to work with the local community on how we can offer public benefit here.”
A CORNISH teenager has become the first person to receive a lifesaving blood transfusion at the scene of an incident, thanks to a new partnership between medical services in the county.
For the first time ever, Cornwall Air Ambulance is carrying blood on board its helicopter, giving the critical care team the option to start emergency transfusions before a patient even reaches hospital.
Within just three days of the service launching, 17-year-old Zack Hancock received an emergency transfusion on the roadside following a serious road traffic collision at St Tudy, which left him with life-threatening injuries.
Donna Jewell, Zack’s mother, said: “To see Zack lying on the road with so many people working on him was awful, he was unrecognisable. Police told me to say goodbye to him, they didn’t think he would survive the journey to hospital. Without this service, I would not have a son. The care he received from everyone has been amazing.”
Zack was air-lifted to Plymouth’s
Derriford Hospital on December 4, and spent the next 11 days in a coma. Despite significant internal injuries, along with broken bones in his face, arms and legs, Zack is back home in Bodmin and recovering well from the incident.
The introduction of the service is a collaboration with the blood transfusion service at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, South Western Ambulance Service and Cornwall Blood Bikes. The project has been funded by the Henry Surtees Foundation, with air ambulance paramedics undergoing training.
THREE Devon towns have been named in the top ten UK seaside towns to stay this summer.
According to booking data from Premier Inn, Paignton, Exmouth and Torquay have all made the list of the best seaside towns for people looking to holiday in the UK this year.
On Monday, Boris Johnson announced his roadmap for easing England out of lockdown.
People could be allowed to have self-catering breaks with their own household from April 12 while hotels and other holiday accommodation will reopen from May 17 if all goes to plan.
Places such as Gara Rock Hotel at East Portlemouth, near Salcombe, and Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish Warren, have already seen a host of bookings since the announcement was made.
Jeff Ward, Gara Rock’s operations director, said: ‘’All indications show that it will be our busiest year ever for bookings at Gara Rock.
“We already have very limited availability left in July and August [...] suggesting that families are keen to get their summer holiday booked well in advance to avoid missing out.”
Similarly, Cofton Holidays reported that there was a huge 182% increase in online transactions from Sunday, February 21, to Monday, February
22.
The top ten most popular UK seaside towns for 2021, according to Premier Inn data, are: Newquay; Tenby; Skegness; Paignton; Exmouth; Llandudno; Bournemouth; Weymouth; Hayle; and Torquay.