High Cross House closes after National Trust ends lease

The property is considered to be one of the UK's best examples of modernist architecture

A "modernist gem" managed by the National Trust has closed to the public because of a lack of visitors.

High Cross House in Dartington, Devon, was leased to the charity for 10 years in January 2012.

However, the trust has activated a pull-out clause in the lease after the house attracted 11,000 fewer visitors than it needs to break even.

Dartington Hall Trust, which owns the property, said there were no current plans to reopen the house.

In 2012, 21,000 people visited the house, but the National Trust needed 32,000 to visit for it to be "financially sustainable".

Vaughan Lindsay, Dartington Hall Trust chief executive, said: "Whilst it is disappointing that High Cross House is now closing to the public, we continue to welcome people to the Dartington Hall Estate.

"We don't currently have plans to reopen the house to the public and are still exploring our options for the future use of this iconic building."

The property was designed by Swiss-American architect William Lescaze in 1932 and is considered to be one of the UK's best examples of modernist architecture.