Nottingham City Council plans to charge visitors to Wollaton Hall to boost funding for its upkeep and museum services
Nottingham: So, it looks like visitors to Wollaton Hall and its Natural History Museum are going to have to pay to get in soon. The Nottingham City Council is trying to raise some funds to keep the place in good shape.
During a recent meeting, they shared that this new fee is part of a five-year plan. The council wants to set up a charitable trust and an exhibitions company to help save money and bring in more cash for the museums.
The hall, which is a stunning Grade I-listed mansion built way back in the late 1500s, has been facing some serious water damage issues. It was even added to the Heritage at Risk Register this year. Right now, it’s free to visit, but that’s about to change.
They haven’t decided on the exact fee yet, but it’ll only apply to the hall and museum. The Deer Park grounds will still be free to roam. Cllr Sam Lux mentioned that they’re looking into what the best pricing would be, comparing it to other councils and organizations like the National Trust.
He emphasized that this charge is all about making sure they can invest in the building properly. If they don’t, these beautiful places can fall apart and end up closing down.
These plans will be presented to the Full Council in March for a final thumbs-up. The new exhibitions company will be under the council’s control, which means they can get some tax breaks for exhibition costs.
Current council staff will stay put, but the new company might hire additional folks. Council members will also be directors of this new company.
On top of that, the development trust will help the Museums and Galleries Service find more funding sources, so they won’t have to rely solely on the council. This trust will focus on fundraising, while the council keeps running the service.
Cllr Lux pointed out that this plan is different from the Nottingham Castle Trust, which had a rough time and was shut down just 18 months after a big renovation. The council took back control in late 2022.
He reassured everyone that they won’t lose control to an outside group like before. This change will help them access funding they couldn’t before, potentially saving around £800,000 over two years. Sounds like a win-win to me!
