Battling on at Winston's birthplace

SIR Winston Churchill’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace, is losing £1million a month as a result of lockdown and things are now so bad human resources staff have had to help with lambing.

- Julia Kuttner

Dominic Hare, chief executive of the historic building, said lengthy closures have led to plummeting profits and he predicts they will continue making huge losses into June.

Blenheim has been forced to furlough staff to cut costs, which has meant other employees taking on roles they would never have dreamed of a year ago. The historic building’s closure has also seen a £50million reduction in income for the local economy.

Mr Hare said: “We furloughed a lot of people and that meant those of us who were left were just having to cover all the basics.