Wentworth Castle Gardens to close in funding crisis

The Grade I-listed Wentworth Castle Gardens is to close in spring, said the trust that runs the visitor attraction

A tourist attraction will close because it can no longer afford to stay open.

The trust running Wentworth Castle Gardens, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, said despite attracting tens of thousands of visitors a year it could no longer meet its running costs.

It said "every effort" would be made to "honour all existing weddings and celebratory events for 2017".

The Grade I-listed stately home and gardens, featuring a restored Victorian conservatory, will shut in spring.

The plight of the conservatory, which had fallen into disrepair, came to national prominence in the BBC2 Restoration programme in 2003. Almost £4m was spent on the repairs.

The stately home is shutting despite only reopening in 2014 after a £3.74m renovation.

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The restored Victorian conservatory reopened after being featured on BBC2's Restoration programme

John Edwards, of The Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust, said: "In recent years we have not been able to make enough money to cover the running costs required to manage the site and keep the gardens open."

More than £20m has been spent on the 18th Century gardens and 500,000 people have visited it over the past 14 years, the trust said.

More than 20 historic buildings and monuments within the gardens had been restored, it said.

It is hoped the landscape is to be maintained and preserved in the "expectation that a sustainable future can be found".

More than 20 historic buildings and monuments within the gardens had been restored, the trust said

The Northern College of Adult Residential Education, which is based at the site, will not be affected by the decision to close the gardens, it added.

Councillor Roy Miller, of Barnsley Council, said a "historic site such as this requires significant financial investment" and the trust had not been able to operate within its budget.

The council will consider various options for the future of the site, he added.