When will the Hill House in Helensburgh reopen?

The house, which was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, is owned by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), has been closed since the coronavirus pandemic swept across the nation in March.

Current Scottish Government guidance says that museums and other cultural attractions can re-open from July 15, along with the country’s tourist industry, with physical distancing measures in place – and if scientific and health advice permits.

The NTS has included the Hill House on a list of properties that are 'proposed to reopen in 2020", and advises on the opening of "some historic buildings and visitors centres possibly from mid-August".

READ MORE: Hill House closed to public as part of efforts to control spread of coronavirus

But it has yet to decide on a firm reopening date for the Helensburgh property, which was designed and built for Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie and is widely regarded as Mackintosh's domestic masterpiece.

The building is currently sheltering under a protective metal and chain-mail ‘Box’, protecting it from the wind, rain and salty Clyde sea air while a long-term solution is sought to the problem of water ingress which has plagued the Hill House almost since its completion in 1903.

The Trust is hoping the £3.2 million structure, which was completed in June 2019 and allows visitors to view the whole building from outside and above via a series of walkways, will be a tourist attraction in its own right.

READ MORE: More than 20 jobs at risk at Hill House and Geilston Garden as NTS faces £28m drop in income 

An NTS spokeswoman said: “We don’t yet have dates for the Hill House, but it is planned for 2020 re-opening, and we are of course redesigning the visitor experience there to take account of the latest safety guidance and advice.”

There is, however, firmer - and better - news for fans of the area’s other NTS property, Geilston Garden in Cardross.

Along with other outdoor attractions owned by the NTS, Geilston is set to re-open this Monday, July 6, with opening hours of Thursday to Monday, 10am-5pm and last entry to the garden will be at 4pm.

READ MORE: Geilston Garden reopening date announced as lockdown limits are eased further

The pandemic has not been kind on the NTS, with more than 20 jobs under threat at both Geilston Garden and Hill House.

Nineteen of the 26 posts at Hill House are at risk of redundancy while the conservation charity grapples with an estimated £28 million drop in income because of the lockdown restrictions.

Three of the five NTS jobs at Geilston are also under threat.

In all, 429 members of staff – out of a total workforce of 751 – have been told their roles could be made redundant.

The Trust, which launched an emergency appeal for donations back in May to try and tackle the crisis, also says it will try to sell ‘non-heritage’ land and property and will ask for help from the Scottish Government and other grant-giving bodies.

READ MORE: NTS launches donations appeal in bid to tackle £28m cash crisis

The Trust’s spokeswoman told the Advertiser that consultation on redundancies was continuing until July 31, and so no decisions had yet been made on how to proceed after that.

Commenting on the re-opening of many of its gardens across the country, NTS chairman Sir Mark Jones said: “As we all adapt to the ‘new normal’, there will be some changes on the ground at properties.

"We hope that our members, supporters and visitors will be patient and work with us during this time of transition.

“We would also please ask visitors to stick to the latest guidance and only visit if it’s within the five-mile travel limit.”

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