Castle's sudden closure a shock for community

HERITAGE SITE NOT SUSTAINABLE DUE TO LOW VISITOR NUMBERS

- By DANIEL HALL

PRUDHOE Castle is unsustainable in its current form, say English Heritage, as the body confirmed it is making changes to the opening arrangements of three Northumberland sites.

The charity, which manages 28 sites across the county, has closed Prudhoe Castle while it “works out a new way to operate it”, as it is not currently sustainable due to low visitor numbers. Bosses have since confirmed that there are plans to reopen the grounds and offer free entry on a daily basis.

However, no date has been given for this yet and the site remains closed.

An English Heritage spokesperson said: “The reality is that because of the small number of visitors we welcome to Prudhoe Castle through general admission, it isn’t sustainable for us to continue operating in this way.