Acton Scott Historic Working Farm: Consultation over attraction's future

The farm has been closed since July

Consultation on the future of a farm attraction is planned for next year.

Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, near Craven Arms in Shropshire, has been shut since July after an outbreak of E-coli.

The farm has been operating at a deficit, says Shropshire Council, seeking options for it going forward.

A report will go to cabinet in the spring after the community engagement ends, the authority adds.

The venue sits within the Acton Scott estate, and has been operated by the council since the 1970s.

It was the vision of Thomas Acton who established a museum demonstrating farming techniques from the turn of the century before the advent of the internal combustion engine.

It is known as being the location for the BBC series Victorian Farm.

Visitor numbers peaked in 2009, the authority said, at about 45,000 a year, but have been in decline since, with an average of 20,00 visitors each year since 2014.

The farm operates at a deficit of £168,000 per year, the council says, with taxpayers subsidising the farm at a cost of £8.40 per person.

The working farm sits within the Acton Scott estate

Since the closure, the council has commissioned a number of reviews that have identified a need for staff training and further investment.

With the council facing an "extremely challenging financial future", it said option appraisals had been undertaken "to determine whether an alternative, commercially-viable model is achievable".

Clare Featherstone, Shropshire Council's head of culture, leisure and tourism, said the authority looked forward to hearing people's "thoughts and suggestions" in the new year.

Francis Acton, for the estate, said the family would support the consultation and work with the council to explore future options.

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