HISTORIC BUILDINGS CLOSING THEIR DOORS ON THE PUBLIC

The bank holiday tradition of touring historic buildings has hit a rare hurdle. For the first time in 20 years, public access to historic properties is now in decline.

The new issue of Cultural Trends, published tomorrow, shows that 2001 historic buildings and ancient monuments were open to the public in England last year - a drop from 2013 in 1997 and 2017 in 1996. And although the decline is still quite small, with some properties opening for the first time and others closing, experts are warning that it may signify the beginning of a new trend, as property owners worry about the damage caused by tourism.

Last year, 11 new properties opened to the public amidst a blaze of publicity, including Paul McCartney's former home in Liverpool and Compton Verney, near Stratford-upon-Avon. However, there was rather less fanfare when a further 16 closed their doors on visitors, including Boughton Monchelsea in Kent and Rotherfield Park in Alton.

More and more people are visiting historic properties - trips have increased by 9% since 1994. However, the cost of admission has outpaced inflation over the same period. Since 1991, admission charges to historic buildings have risen by 48% against a retail price index rise of just 18%. The cost of admission rose fastest for properties in the hands of government (up 42%) and local authorities (up 38%), although these properties were usually the cheapest to visit. Private properties rose by 31% from a much higher base. Only the National Trust (up 21%) has kept close to the RPI.

Where you visit makes a big difference to how much you have to pay. In Leicestershire, entry to nearly two thirds of historic buildings is free. In Warwickshire, by contrast, entry to just one property in ten comes free of charge.

Max Hanna, author of the research, suggests there may be a common cause behind the rising prices and closing doors. More and more properties are reaching maximum capacity - in 1997 as many as a quarter of all properties could take no more visitors. Steps are now being taken to deter visitors or, at least, minimise the damage they cause. Prices are deliberately being increased to reduce congestion and wear and tear and the National Trust has begun to issue timed-tickets and wishes to decrease car-borne visits from today's 90% to 60% by the year 2000. Other property owners are turning their back on tourism altogether and finding other forms of income, such as conferences and weddings.

The number of visitors is not evenly divided between properties. As many as 36% of buildings received no more than 5,000 in 1997 and only 9% received more than 100,000. Just over a third of visitors (35%) came from overseas, and this figure was substantially higher in London, where overseas visitors accounted for 68% and trips by UK residents less than one third (32%).

'The restoration of historic buildings and the improvement of visitor facilities have greatly added to their appeal' said Sara Selwood, editor of Cultural Trends. 'However, hard decisions are now having to be made between maintaining public access and conserving properties for the future. We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the expansion of public access to historic sites.'

For media enquiries, contact:

Sara Selwood on 0171 720 3138

For copies of CT 32, contact:

Michelle McNally on 0171 468 2201

 Notes for Editors: