Bamburgh Castle owner describes new lockdown as 'a painful blow' to UK visitor economy

The castle, which would expect to attract some 150,000 visitors in a normal year, reopened in July with various covid-secure measures in place to keep visitors and staff safe.

It had planned to stay open through the autumn and winter period to recoup some of those visitor numbers and provide a much-needed boost to local accommodation providers.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new England lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus has scuppered that for the time being.

Francis Watson Armstrong, owner of Bamburgh Castle, said: "It is a painful blow - not just for ourselves - but for fellow attractions and businesses right across the nation who must close due to the Government’s second lockdown announcement.

Related article: These are the rules on travel and holidays under the new national lockdown in England

"We are completely reliant upon visitor income from viewings, events, weddings and holiday lettings to keep the castle standing for future generations, however people’s lives must and have to come first and the safety of the public and that of our own team remains our absolute priority.

"We hope that by acing swiftly and following Government regulations together, we can play our part in controlling the virus.

“We have been absolutely inundated with messages of support from people all around the world for whom Bamburgh holds a very special place in their hearts.

"We look forward to reopening to the public as soon as we are able to do so.

"We will continue to monitor and follow Government advice, working in partnership with VisitEngland so that we can reopen again as one of the country’s leading covid-secure attractions.”

The latest lockdown comes at the end of a difficult season for many visitor attractions.

Alnwick Castle, which closed for the end of the season on Sunday, posted on Facebook: ‘This season has been unlike any other we have experienced, and we would like to say an enormous thank you to all our wonderful visitors for your endless support during these difficult times.

‘We would also like to say a huge thank you to our amazing staff who have worked tirelessly come rain or shine to do their very best to keep everyone safe and to help everyone enjoy their visit.’

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper. If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.