At Soulton Hall, we believe it is vital to share the reality of what it takes to look after a place of national importance. A significant new report, A Fragile Inheritance, has just been released by Historic Houses, and its findings are worth highlighting as they reflect the exact landscape we navigate every day. This document is more than just a collection of statistics; it is a health check for the UK’s independent heritage, outlining why places like Soulton are essential to our culture and economy, while also identifying the serious pressures that put that future at risk.
Window in Soulton Hall with the block intersections (it has a quotation from A Midsummer Night’s Dream showing next to it)
It is often assumed that sites like Soulton receive government funding or state grants to maintain their history, but in reality, Soulton Hall receives no state help. The work we do—from funding academic research and hosting arts programming to the careful preservation of items with deep historical and spiritual meaning—is a service we provide on behalf of the nation. We are proud to facilitate public access to these treasures, but that effort is funded entirely through our own work and the support of our guests.
Tudor Prayer Room in Soulton Hall
The 2026 report confirms that while independent houses are a massive boost to the UK—supporting over 12,000 jobs and contributing £1 billion to the economy—the path to keeping them open is becoming more complex. Like any business, we contribute through the tax system to support public services, which we recognise as a necessary part of a functioning society. However, when these costs rise alongside the unique expenses of heritage care, it naturally limits how much we can reinvest back into the Hall’s preservation and its future.
Epidaurus Court and the Feretory sculpture
One of the most significant takeaways from the report is the challenge of modernising for the future. We are eager to make our buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient, yet nearly 90% of owners find the current planning system a major obstacle to these upgrades. In 2025, only half of the applications for energy efficiency measures were successful across the sector. Despite these hurdles, we remain committed to our community. Like most independent houses, we spend the vast majority of our budget locally, supporting the businesses and tradespeople in our immediate area who help us keep this site standing.
1668 Door Case
The report serves as a call to action for smarter policies that recognise the public value of independent heritage. This includes suggestions like streamlining the planning process for sensible, low-impact upgrades and reforming VAT to make the upkeep of historic buildings more manageable for everyone.
Theatre in Epidaurus Court, Soulton Hall
The work we do here—the research, the theatre, the conservation—is a labour of love. By staying with us or visiting, you are directly supporting this independent effort to keep a piece of our national story alive and accessible for the future.
