A campaign to save an important heritage site and tourist attraction from closure has been given a major boost.

In mid-March, forced to close to the public due to Covid-19, Creswell Crags announced that it was under threat of permanent closure.

Campaign to save Creswell Crags

Creswell Crags was one of the first independent heritage organisations to declare itself in danger due to the coronavirus crisis.

Run by Creswell Heritage Trust, an independent registered charity, the limestone gorge, honeycombed with caves, was home to early humans and Neanderthals, woolly mammoths and hyenas.

Now landowners Welbeck Estate have supported a £50,000 appeal launched on JustGiving to save the Crags by announcing that it will give the attraction a rent holiday during lockdown.

Ian Goodwin, CEO of Welbeck Estate, said: “We are happy to support Creswell Crags through this challenging financial time, and so while the lockdown is in place we won’t be asking Creswell Heritage Trust for monthly rent payments.

“Creswell Crags is a hugely important heritage site and must be protected for future generations. We hope that our gesture will help support this important charity for the benefit of the local community.”

The limestone gorge, caves, footpaths, meadow, car park and Visitor Centre are part of the land owned by the Welbeck Estate, which also includes The Harley Gallery, The Portland Collection, The School of Artisan Food, and a farm shop, bakehouse, brewery and more.

Creswell Heritage Trust holds the lease to maintain the site, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Site of Special Scientific Interest, conserve the heritage and run the museum and visitor attraction.

Executive director of the trust, Paul Baker, said: “This has been a humbling situation, we’ve had so much support from so many of our visitors and friends in the heritage, arts and academic communities. Now our landlords, the Welbeck Estate are looking at ways they can help make these donations go further during this challenging period.

“I am very appreciative that they have responded positively to our call for help. The Welbeck Estate is the home of a rich variety of leisure, arts and cultural organisations and we are proud to count them as our friends and neighbours. I’m sure together we can find new ways to confront the challenges ahead.”

Until recently, the trust received funding from the local authorities, but this ended early in 2020. Despite the team working hard to make the attraction self-sufficient, the Covid-19 pandemic has stopped all income from visitors, schools and special events.

Around 12,000 school children take part in the Creswell Crags education programme every year. It is visited as a valued outdoor space and window into the ancient past by at least 60,000 visitors a year.

During lockdown, the gorge and lakeside paths remain open for local people to walk or jog for daily exercise but this is via a public bridleway and does not generate income.

Dr Tim Caulton, chair of Creswell Heritage Trust, said: “We are immensely grateful for the lifeline that Welbeck Estate has thrown to us.

“It means that Creswell Heritage Trust is no longer in danger of imminent insolvency and we are now able to apply for emergency funding available in support of heritage organisations at risk. The situation will still be financially difficult for the Trust as we are locked down at the peak of our trading season, but we are taking the time to restructure our organisation and the way we operate.

“The Harley Gallery / Portland Collection and Creswell Crags both provide leading visitor attractions that are closely connected both geographically and culturally, with many famous works of art by George Stubbs and others painted in the stunning limestone gorge at Creswell Crags. We hope this generous gesture by the Welbeck Estate will enable both organisations to forge a new partnership in the future.”