Coronavirus: National Trust's Kymin Round House to close

The Kymin is a hill overlooking Monmouth and the Round House on it was built in 1794

Wales' first National Trust site is set to close "for the immediate future", with its custodians losing their jobs and home.

The Kymin Round House in Monmouth attracts 65,000 people a year to a site Lord Horatio Nelson visited in 1802 and which has a naval monument.

But because of losses suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic, its reopening has been paused.

It will be the first time since 1902 it has not had a custodian on site.

Martin Kerrigan, who has lived with his wife, Sara Szwer, at the site for 17 years, said: "The proposal is to make us redundant which would mean we would have to move out of the house on the site."

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He said he was concerned about the Kymin's long-term future, adding: "It is a real local landmark and an icon for the town of Monmouth."

Visitors follow in the footsteps of Lord Horatio Nelson, who dined in the Round House in 1802, while the Naval Temple was built in 1801 as a monument.

There are currently 13 weddings, some postponed because of coronavirus, booked for next year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Monmouth councillor Richard Roden said residents in the town were "shocked" at the possibility of custodians being removed.

"They play an essential role in keeping the property and area safe for the community and visitors to one of Monmouth's top visitor attractions," he said.

The Round House is one of Monmouth's most famous landmarks and the first site in Wales bought by the National Trust

A spokeswoman for the National Trust said the charity faced losses of £200m as a result of coronavirus and had to review every aspect of its work and "as a result we propose to make savings in almost every area of activity".

At the Kymin, she said the current proposal was to "pause reopening and rethink the visitor offer", adding: "This means it is unlikely to reopen in the immediate future."