A FIFTH of staff have lost their jobs at the former home of Sir Walter Scott following declining visitor numbers.
Abbotsford House, near Melrose, was built by the world-renowned writer between 1817 and 1825 on the south bank of the River Tweed and holds his library and a vast collection of artefacts linked to the author.
However, a consultation is now open on the future of eight posts at the visitor attraction as the Abbotsford Trust have tried to balance the growing pressures of inflation, the rising employer costs introduced by the UK Government in October with dwindling paying visitors.
Abbotsford Trust said paying visitor numbers have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels but did say the number of people touring the estate grounds for free is at “record levels”.
It added the costs of caring for Scott’s library, artefacts and historic gardens while keeping access to the estate free for the public was “expensive, but very worthwhile”.
A statement from the trust said: “Abbotsford, like many other visitor attractions, has been severely impacted by the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis.
“Although free visits to Abbotsford’s estate remain at record levels, paying visits to the house have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic figures.
“At the same time, unprecedented inflation and recent government policy changes have increased employment costs and driven up running costs for the Trust.”
Last year, the charity made a loss of £170,000 on a turnover of £1.5 million.
Fundraising has helped to cover the costs for running the tourist attraction along with income from paying guests but financial figures from last year have left the trust drawing on “all available reserves”.
The trust said it had considered other alternatives to increase revenue streams and reduce costs elsewhere but decided that job losses were to go ahead.
The statement added: “The intention is that a smaller core permanent staff team will remain, prioritising safeguarding organisational functions critical to Abbotsford’s charitable objectives and revenue generation.”
In 2010 Abbotsford House underwent a £12m restoration where around 4500 objects from the building were cleaned and catalogued.
Structural repairs were also made to crumbling stonework at the same time. Scott is famed for his literary works, including Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe, which have remained highly regarded as Scottish classics.
