Heritage consultancy services

We don’t just advise. We’ve done it ourselves.

As heritage consultants, we support heritage organisations in making the most effective use of their resources in an increasingly competitive climate. Heritage sites face real pressure: cuts to public-sector funding, rising costs, the climate emergency, and challenging market conditions all mean there’s a growing need for a commercial outlook. We offer insights that meet market needs while remaining sensitive to the conservation aims of a project or organisation. Balancing commercial activity with the conservation and enhancement of what makes a site special is something we understand well.

What sets us apart

Our sister company, Planning Solutions Limited, operates a number of visitor experiences, including Kent Life Heritage Farm, CONKERS Discovery Centre, Cotswold Country Park & Beach, and, between 2010 and 2022, the National Brewery Centre (formerly the Bass Museum). They also manage the Burton Bridge Brewery and a 70-bed Grade II listed hotel. This isn’t desk-based research.  It’s first-hand knowledge of what it takes to run a sustainable business.  See how our sister company operates these heritage attractions.

Heritage consultancy built around your needs

We work with heritage organisations across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to navigate funding challenges, rising operational costs, and an increasingly competitive visitor market. Our advice is always commercially grounded and conservation-sensitive, because we understand that balance matters.

01 — Heritage business planning & strategy
Robust financial analysis to underpin funding applications and shape long-term project strategy. We provide advice on governance options, conduct market assessments, identify business risks, and develop supporting staffing models.

02 — Operational reviews and revenue generation
We identify practical opportunities to generate additional earned income and improve operational efficiency.

03 — Heritage visitor experience & masterplanning
Strategic development and heritage masterplans that respond to changing market trends and audience expectations. We help clients create compelling visitor experiences that increase footfall and long-term engagement.

Research-led heritage consultancy advice

Our work is underpinned by thorough research, from on-site audience analysis to financial performance analysis. Through benchmarking, we explore what’s working elsewhere and what’s changing, and review key market and economic trends, so our recommendations are always grounded in current market realities.

We also believe deeply in the value of stakeholder engagement. We work closely with management teams, staff, volunteers, other stakeholders and host communities to build genuine understanding and organisational buy-in. We have found that strategies can readily fail without involving a range of stakeholders and other interested parties.

Heritage organisations face a particular challenge: the need to become more commercial without compromising the qualities that make their sites special places to visit. We navigate that tension, and it sits at the heart of the projects we work on.

We regularly collaborate with conservation architects, quantity surveyors, landscape architects, and activity planners, bringing together the right combination of expertise for each project.

Heritage consultancy projects – an established track record

Heritage property properties

• Caerphilly County Borough Council: Carried out a feasibility study to introduce visitor accommodation within the grounds of Llancaiach Fawr Manor, a heritage attraction managed by the Council
• Charleston Trust: Charleston is located near Lewes and is a site of international cultural significance and a nationally important heritage site as the home to the Bloomsbury group. The Trust’s portfolio of literary activities, from exhibitions and a major festival, attracts thousands of visitors each year. PSC worked with the Trust to prepare the funding application, and our work helped to secure £400,000 of funding from the Coast to Capital programme
• Gladstone’s Library:  Completed a business resilience planning project for Gladstone’s Library, a Grade I residential library in Flintshire, which incorporates an extensive programme of events, a chapel, café, accommodation and garden
• Hampshire County Council: Carried out a module of primary research with visitors to understand the needs of current visitors to Silchester Roman Town, a nationally important heritage site in Hampshire
• High Peak Borough Council/Staffordshire Moorlands District Council: Carried out an operational review of the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton to determine the best possible investment strategy for this iconic Grade II building, which is set in an attractive parkland
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council: We carried out a study to identify and evaluate opportunities to enhance the visitor experience and income generation potential at Sewerby Hall and Garden, including its two gardens and wider parkland setting
• Enfield Council: At Forty Hall, a Grade I listed house, we carried out a market review and options appraisal to enhance income-generating opportunities. A supporting financial analysis was also carried out
• English Heritage: Feasibility study to identify appropriate uses which could potentially be introduced within the Marble Arch structure, a Grade I listed and iconic monument in London
• Estate Management Team: PSC supported the Estate’s retained planning advisor to consider and assess lead opportunities for the extensive estate property and land. This included tourism and hospitality uses, a high-end hotel, and a retirement-village-type concept. Our review included a detailed site and property assessment of the house, its curtilage, the walled garden, and the grounds
• Golden Grove Trust: Working in a multi-disciplinary team, including Hiraeth Architecture, we carried out a market assessment and options appraisal to identify uses to regenerate Golden Grove mansion house, stable and parkland in Carmarthenshire
• National Trust for Scotland: We worked with the NTS to benchmark six historic properties and estates to identify key lessons to help inform future decision-making around the admissions experience and pay barrier options for heritage properties and wider estates
• Newham Council: Prepare a business plan and organisational and governance strategy to support a successful funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project is focused on the transformation of Canning Town Old Library, Grade II listed, into a vibrant Heritage Centre which will incorporate an archive store, reading room, education and interpretation spaces and a catering offer
• Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council: Carried out an operational review and prepared a development plan for the Saltburn Cliff Tramway (Grade II*).  There is limited visitor ‘space’ including a small ticket office and two ‘carriages’
• Southampton City Council: Assessment of 22 heritage sites owned by the council to identify opportunities to increase public access and generate revenue to cover their maintenance/operating costs

Industrial heritage projects

• Emda: Prepared the original business plan for Pleasley Pit Mining Museum, which includes a coal mining museum
• Friends of White Rock: The heritage feasibility study and development plan for White Rock focused on identifying opportunities to improve access and enhance the visitor offer at White Rock Industrial Heritage Park
• The Kent Mining Heritage Foundation: Commissioned to carry out a strategic retail assessment to identify the way forward for retail offer at Kent Mining Museum. This was coupled with identifying practical hands-on operational improvements, which will help to optimise the Kent Mining Museum shop
• Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council: Prepared a masterplan and supporting business case to transform the offer at Cefn Coed Colliery Museum and create a gateway visitor centre hub to the Valleys Regional Park
• North West Leicestershire District Council: Prepared a development plan for Moira Furnace Museum and Country Park
• Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council:  Prepared a business plan to reopen the Rhondda Tunnel as a heritage and active leisure offer to support regeneration within the Rhondda Valley
• Shropshire Council and Friends of Flax Mill Maltings: Prepared the business plan for Ditherington Flax Mill, which secured over £10m in Lottery funding
• Torfaen County Borough Council: Working with architects, we carried out an options appraisal in respect of the Cornish Engine House and the former NCB Building and Quadrangle at  “The British”, a former ironworks site near Talywain.   The Cornish Engine House was installed in 1845 to assist drainage from the deep levels

Castle projects

• Blarney Castle & Gardens: Commissioned to carry out a programme of primary research with visitors and coach operators and to advise on opportunities to enhance the visitor experience
• Hastings Borough Council: Carried out a programme of primary research, consultation, review of case examples and analysis of the education sector to inform future development plans for Hastings Castle
• Historic Environment Scotland: Prepared a Monument and Community Support Strategy for Urquhart Castle with a focus on responding to capacity issues, the impact of visitors on the heritage asset, local community and quality of the visitor experience
• National Trust for Scotland: Worked at Crathes Castle, Garden and Estate to develop a visitor carrying capacity model to help protect the nature and built environments from visitor impacts
• Neath Port Talbot CBC: As part of an NLHF project, we worked in a multi-disciplinary team to carry out a market assessment and options (with supporting financial models) and to identify and evaluate new uses for Margam Castle (Grade I)
• Pembrokeshire County Council: Prepared a feasibility study and development plan for the transformation of Haverfordwest Castle (Grade I listed) and Governor’s House into a flagship heritage attraction (the site incorporates the Town Museum). Latterly, we were commissioned to provide support for a funding application to the Levelling Up Fund, which secured over £17m
• Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council:  We were commissioned to carry out an economic feasibility study to test the viability of introducing a café within Tonbridge Castle

Other heritage projects

• Cornwall Heritage Trust: We were appointed to work with the Senior Management Team and Trustees to advise on the potential acquisition of new heritage sites within Cornwall
• Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council: Developed a destination heritage framework, including engagement with local heritage organisations and other stakeholders and developing site-specific financial analysis to support a successful application to the Levelling Up Fund, which secured £19m for two separate sites (including a community/visitor hub)

Client testimonial

“Pembrokeshire County Council, in conjunction with a partnership of public, private and third sector organisations, procured PSC to develop a robust feasibility study assessing the potential of Haverfordwest Castle to become a flagship heritage attraction. This was a complex study with a range of professionals involved and PSC managed all the various different subcontractors very effectively throughout the process.

The study itself includes some of the most defendable revenue business planning assumptions that I have seen in studies of this nature. Oftentimes, consultants can be somewhat overoptimistic in their financial assumptions in order to give clients what they want. Such assumptions can then come back to haunt the organisations that went on to deliver projects which ultimately were not financially viable. In this case, I am confident that the figures provided are realistic and achievable. PSC were always professional, quick to respond and willing to make changes to drafts, some of which were quite significant.” Mike Cavanagh, Head of Cultural, Leisure, Tourism and Registration Services Pembrokeshire County Council

How can we help

Whether you’re developing a funding bid, planning a major capital project, or looking for a fresh perspective on your operation we’d love to hear from you. Initial conversations are always welcome, with no obligation.

We work with heritage organisations of all sizes, from small independent trusts to local authorities and national organisations.

Richard Linington, Heritage Consultancy Lead and Director – 07866 742628 richard@pslplan.co.uk