A staff-led financial plan to reopen Broughton House and Garden in Kirkcudbright this summer appears to have failed.
Visitor services manager Carol Ryall put forward costings for running the popular attraction.
But she said owners National Trust for Scotland provided only negative comments on her proposals.
Now the charity looks set to mothball the iconic building and garden until next Easter.
If that happens five staff including Mrs Ryall face the prospect of being made redundant.
The five will find out their fate in online meetings with NTS bosses tomorrow.
Mrs Ryall said: “The staff are very saddened and just waiting now for what they think is inevitable.
“I just hope that they can find a way forward that helps the property and staff stay together.
“We are there to protect the property and being made redundant is not a nice reward for all our efforts.
“We do everything we can to help every visitor.”
Mrs Ryall was disappointed with the response to her 12-month budget plan.
NTS, she said, told her visitor numbers had been overestimated and that income from investments relating to Broughton House should not be included.
The charity also took issue with the proposal running over two financial years.
Mrs Ryall said: “I thought they might at least have come back to me to say ‘yes, we can work with these bits’ but there was nothing positive from them. That made me feel we would be wasting our time doing more work on it.
“Staff want to help NTS but we are not being involved in decisions, proposals or options.”
NTS declined to confirm whether staff meetings were taking place tomorrow on the proposed closure until Easter 2021.
The charity also declined to clarify their view on Mrs Ryall’s plan.
A spokesperson said: “I can’t confirm any of these things at the moment.
“Although the consultation is over, the outcomes are still being reviewed.”
Broughton House and Garden is the former home of celebrated artist EA Hornel.
The Friends of Broughton House have provided thousands of pounds and volunteer to help NTS.
Chairman Mike Duguid, who has won NTS volunteering awards, wants the property opened and staff back in post.
He said: “We have already had more than 300 messages of support from artists, poli-
ticians, townsfolk, people working in the tourism sector and many more.
“And now we hope that even more people will call on the
NTS to reopen the house and garden.
“They are absolute gems and take us right into the life and work of a truly great Scottish artist.
“They are also one of the prime visitor attractions of Kirkcudbright.”
Mr Duguid added: “Kirkcudbright is now Scotland’s Artists’ Town.
“It therefore seems deeply ironic if the home of undoubtedly the most successful artist to live there is not reopened by the NTS, all the more so as this is the precise moment when we should all be pulling together to revive the economy through cultural tourism, on which the town is very reliant.”
