Jobs axed at 200-year-old former home of one of Scotland's most famous writers as visitor numbers fall

The 19th Century mansion of one of the country’s literary giants is under very modern pressures.

The former home of Sir Walter Scott is to cut a fifth of staff following a loss of paying visitors.

The jobs are to go at Abbotsford House near Melrose, which was built by the writer as he enjoyed the spoils of his literary career and holds his library and vast collection of artefacts.

A consultation is now open on the future of eight posts at the visitor attraction, two of which are vacant, as the Abbotsford Trust tries to manage a loss of visitor income combined with inflationary pressures and rising employer costs introduced by the UK Government.

The Abbotsford Trust said numbers of paying visitors had not returned to pre-pandemic levels while numbers of those visiting the wider estate for free were at “record levels”.

Abbotsford House near Melrose, the former home of Sir Walter Scott, is to cut jobs as paying visitor numbers fall. | Press Association Images

A statement from the trust said: “Abbotsford, like many other visitor attractions, has been severely impacted by the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis. Although free visits to Abbotsford’s estate remain at record levels, paying visits to the house have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic figures

“At the same time, unprecedented inflation and recent government policy changes have increased employment costs and driven up running costs for the Trust.”

READ MORE: Sir Walter Scott: The man who invented Scotland

The trust said the costs of caring for Scott’s library, artefacts and historic gardens while keeping access to the estate free was “expensive, but very worthwhile”.

Fundraising has always covered the gap between running costs and income from customers but figures for 2024 left the trust drawing on “all available reserves” to cover the shortfall.

Last year, the charity made a loss of £170,000 on a turnover of £1.5m.

It said it had considered alternatives to increase revenue streams and reduce costs elsewhere in the running of the attraction, but that job losses were now going ahead.

The statement added: “The intention is that a smaller core permanent staff team will remain, prioritising safeguarding organisational functions critical to Abbotsford’s charitable objectives and revenue generation.”

Giles Ingram, chief executive of The Abbotsford Trust, said: “Abbotsford has faced its challenges through the years, and every time it has been the support of friends and community which has seen it through.”

He urged people to visit the attraction when the house and gardens reopen on March 1, adding that “every coffee enjoyed, every gift bought, every parking ticket paid helps to support the charity”.

Mr Ingram added: “Abbotsford belongs to all of us, together we can ensure it remains a flourishing and fascinating place we can all be proud of.”

Scott, author of Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe, is heralded as the first best-selling novelist and creator of the historical novel who is charged with romanticising Scotland’s identity to the world. His home was opened to visitors in 1833, five months after he died in the dining room.

Abbotsford House underwent a £12m restoration in 2010 with structural repairs made to crumbling stonework and around 4,500 objects from the house cleaned and catalogued.

Included in Scott’s vast collection of historical artefacts are Rob Roy’s broadsword, dirk, sporran and gun; a blotter owned by Napoleon, which contains a lock of his hair; and a silver urn gifted to Scott by Lord Byron.