Last week, Castleacre Director, Hugo Johnsen, attended an event hosted by Historic Houses exploring the latest data on UK historic houses visitor numbers and the wider outlook for the heritage sector as a contributor to the UK Economy.

For Castleacre Insurance, these findings highlight how historic houses, often now run as businesses out of necessity, are an important player in the UK economy and a crucial local employer and that is why specialist insurance is essential not to just to protect these nationally important buildings for their own sake but also the tourism and business activities that make such a vital financial contributor to the local economy.

One of the most encouraging announcements was the continued recovery in UK historic houses visitor numbers following the devastating impact of the Covid pandemic.

Historic Houses member properties welcomed 21.3 million visitors in 2025, representing a 14% increase over the previous year. This growth reflects the strong return in domestic tourism and renewed public interest in visiting heritage sites.

Several well-known estates led the rankings for visitor numbers. Blenheim Palace recorded the highest attendance with 980,678 visitors, followed by popular destinations such as Chatsworth House and Hever Castle.

While these figures show strong momentum, the sector is still working towards full recovery. Visitor numbers remain below 2019’s pre-pandemic level of around 26 million visits, highlighting that the recovery journey is still ongoing for many historic properties.

Protecting Unique Properties and Priceless Heritage

Historic houses are often centuries-old and it is their history and the visual and cultural heritage that makes them so attractive to visitors – period interiors, irreplaceable artworks, spectacular architecture and landscaped grounds all playing an important part in their continued economic viability.  Castleacre Insurance specialises in looking after historic houses and Director Hugo Johnsen says:

‘Almost all historic house owners have had to diversify activity in order to survive, and this creates complex insurance needs that go beyond standard insurance. With rising rebuild costs, operational costs, and maintenance demands running alongside public and employment liability, it is essential to have the right insurance in place to safeguard these sites for future generations.’

Rising Costs and Strategic Risk Management

The event also highlighted that 31% of properties have yet to recover to pre-pandemic revenue levels, while operational costs, including insurance, continue to rise.

By providing specialist coverage, risk assessment, and claims support, Castleacre Insurance helps historic house owners focus on preservation and visitor experience without the worry of unexpected financial shocks.

Castleacre’s Director, Hugo Johnsen, reflected further on these challenges:

“One of the largest costs for owners of historic houses is insurance. In the last 5 years premiums have doubled due to cost of materials, labour and higher insurance rates. Until now there has been very little appetite from the insurance fraternity to take on these risks, however recently a new player has arrived on the scene: ARX Rural. Their chairman, the Duke of Fife, has a direct interest in finding solutions for this problem. ARX Rural offer a different way of insuring these properties and so maybe competition is coming back into this arena.”

The arrival of underwriters ARX Rural signals a new approach to insuring historic properties and they working with insurance brokers, such as Castleacre Insurance to offer tailored solutions where options have previously been limited.

For owners, key steps include reviewing property valuations, understanding specific heritage and liability risks. This changing landscape underlines just how important it is for owners to have access to expert advice when making insurance decisions. As the market evolves and new entrants bring different approaches, the choices available are expanding, but so too is the complexity.

For historic house owners, securing the right cover is not simply about cost, but about ensuring long-term protection for irreplaceable buildings and collections. In this environment, informed guidance plays a vital role in helping owners make confident, well-structured decisions.