Guest 679- Registered: 7 Sep 2008
- Posts: 162
10 February 2011
17:4392189I'm hearing from Dover castle staff today that English Heritage have announced that they will be closing all their sites from October to March every year. They were all told in their meeting this morning that they will be made redundant this October.
Think there's going to be a few unhappy customers about, especially if they've just forked out on a card.
I know a million ways to always pick the wrong thing to say
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
10 February 2011
18:1692190Well that's good news for the winter break market in Dover,isn't it?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2011
18:2492191i have been meaning to join for about a month now, just keep forgetting, obviously won't bother now.
totally gutted for the staff that do a great job up there.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
10 February 2011
18:4392194Unbelievable.... My thoughts are with my Friends up there.....
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
10 February 2011
19:0892198Yet more dreadful employment news for the district. I'd be rather shocked if this true, I thought Dover Castle was EH's second most popular attraction after Stonehenge, still, I suppose the overheads must be immense. I wonder where this leaves the much vaunted cable-car? Hanging by a thread?
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
10 February 2011
19:2192200Yes, just had it confirmed by an inside source. Dover Castle will be open weekends only from November to March.
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
10 February 2011
19:5492205Yes, well, I wonder what Friends Of Dover Castle think. Over to you Pat.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2011
20:0092209my thoughts are with the staff at dover castle.
no doubt they will be told something about structural deficits, problems with banks and recession etc.
they could say quite rightly that they caused none of those things.
Unregistered User
10 February 2011
20:0592212Indeed Howard.
So would you trust the party & government that got us there to return early?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2011
20:1392215not that straightforward paul, seems to me like a game of party posturing.
the blues and yellows say the cuts will not hit front line services, rather economical with the truth i think.
the red councils are deliberately going for the throat with cutting vital services in order to gain votes at the may elections.
cutting funding to english heritage is absurd, many overseas visitors come here during the winter for a mini break to see our heritage, certainly do not come here for the weather.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
10 February 2011
20:3592219I think this is such a shame, nationally, locally and to the employees. I make it up to the Castle once a year to marvel at one of the many things that makes me proud to be a Dovorian. I always point out to friends who visit, that when you draw a castle as a child, you pretty much draw the Keep at Dover. Even the English Heritage symbol is representative of this iconography.
The cuts to English Heritage were anounced last year of £136m. It was clear there would be repercussions to Dover. I hope when we look at the 'value' of heritage we factor this into the immenent wedding this year.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8155625/Royal-wedding-marriage-will-cost-economy-5bn.html
But is the return on plastic Union Flags and Royal Doulton china more valuable than our identity?
I would ask what are we proud of? I suppose we have the Crown to thank for the castle but what is relavent when we have a (world/national....delete as appropriate) recession created by the Labour party?
Unregistered User
10 February 2011
20:3592220Funny I was in London yesterday at the Pfizer Task Force meeting with Charlie.
As we crossed into Parliament Sq. we were greeted by a cheery Baroness Andrews EH's Chairman. She was talking about the launch of the upgraded War rooms/underground complex in June.
She never mentioned a word about this.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
10 February 2011
20:4792224If these reduced hours are to apply nationally, EH will lose a heck of a lot of public support via sale of their membership cards. There will be a lot of disgruntled people out there who won't want to pay £45 or so for a seven-month pass.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
10 February 2011
21:0392230Paul - senior management acrosss the board were up there yesterday
Tomorrow EH Press Coverage tomorrow will annoy a lot of people......
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2011
21:2192232maybe the cheery baroness andrews will still have a job after the axe falls?
i have the distinct feeling that the castle staff being shafted will not see this as "all being in it together".
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
10 February 2011
21:3692233Baroness Andrews, a labour peer. She probably made 'History' economically unviable.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 February 2011
22:3492237good point ddt, everyone at or near the top nowadays knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
long term planning is not on the agenda either.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,897
10 February 2011
22:4392240What are the school parties going to do? Turn up at the weekend or not visit at all, most likely the latter. I appreciate that the winter months are quieter and costs have to be reduced but it seems a very short sighted move.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 February 2011
08:1692254Surely they should be doing the opposite of what they are doing - promoting the use of their sites much more aggressively, not caving in and closing.
There must a very good argument for allowing two-for-one vouchers for guests of hotels and guest houses (here in Dover), so encouraging more people to come here: good for the accommodation sector and good for every other business too.
I used to design the 2-4-1 vouchers for the Dover Guest House Association, but EH stopped the offer in 2010, arguing that their partnership with the trains was so successful, they didn't need to offer it to us.
Maybe not in the summer, but it certainly would benefit everyone (including EH) in the Autumn/Winter periods.
Tourism is one of the biggest employers in this country, but gets very little support - financial or moral, it should be supported much more than it is - it does produce wealth and reduces unemployment, so people are earning money and spending it too.
Whoever made that decision should be removed, it's is a very retrodgrade step and will greatly reduce income for EH.
Roger
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
11 February 2011
09:1692261By this move I suspect EH will create a demotivated workforce. Staff will no longer feel they could give it their all for tourists but just 'go through the motions', and who could blame them with a redundancy notice hanging over their heads? There will also be an impact on local businesses, pubs such as The White Horse receive a fair amount of trade from Castle visitors and staff alike, alas this will now be restricted even further. I wonder if the option to open a restricted area of the Castle, such as The Keep, for a reduced winter fee was explored?