Visitors will be charged to enter Wollaton Hall and its Natural History Museum as part of plans to raise more money to maintain the landmark.
As part of its budget proposals, Nottingham City Council is planning to set up a charitable development trust and exhibitions company to help the authority make savings and bring in more money to run its museums service.
During a meeting at the Labour-led council’s Loxley House headquarters on Wednesday (January 8), it was revealed visitors to Wollaton Hall would be charged a fee to enter under the new five-year business plan.
The Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion, built between 1580 and 1588, was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2023 due to extensive water damage.
Both the hall and Natural History Museum are currently free to enter.
The exact fee has not yet been decided, however the charge will only apply to the hall and museum, while the Deer Park grounds will remain free to enter.
“The proposal does include a new charge to access Wollaton Hall,” Cllr Sam Lux, executive member for carbon reduction, leisure and culture, said.
“We have not decided as a group how much that charge will be. But I will say the team has done a huge amount of work analysing what the most optimal pricing is there, looking at benchmarking and comparing us to not only other councils, but comparable organisations like the National Trust and English Heritage.
“In terms of that charge, the way I see it, it is not the grounds, it is just the actual hall and the museum service.
“Fundamentally that charge will allow us to invest properly in the building. We know anecdotally from other authorities that if those kinds of really expensive beautiful buildings don’t get the investment they need they often become dilapidated and are forced to close in the long run.”
Under the plans, which will go to Full Council in March for final approval, the new exhibitions company will be owned and controlled by the council, but it will allow the authority to claim a tax break on the costs of exhibitions.
Council staff will not be transferred and will remain as employees of the authority, but the company may employ new staff members.
Council representatives will sit as the directors of the company.
