The charity has launched a series of emergency actions after it said its future was in doubt. NTS has also said it will look to sell off non-heritage land and property, and seek support from the Scottish government and grant-giving bodies.

The trust, which cares for sites such as Culloden, Culzean Castle and Hill House in Helensburgh, said its income had plummeted during a season which is usually its busiest. 

The trusts’ estate and holiday accommodation has been closed since March in adherence to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions implemented across the UK. 

NTS said its income was forecast to drop by £28 million this year and said it had also made investment losses of £46m due to stock market conditions.

Simon Skinner, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “The extreme and unprecedented public health emergency has put the charity’s future in doubt.

“With some level of restrictions likely to apply post-lockdown and having effectively missed the busiest part of the visitor season, I see little prospect of us being able to return to more normal levels of membership, visitation and income for the rest of this year and beyond.

“Some people may not care that a charity is in trouble or see heritage as having little importance just now - but if the trust goes down then what will be lost will impoverish Scotland forever.”

The trust, which currently has a total of 751 employees, intends to cut back its offering based on the possibility of a staged reopening of 27 key properties this year on a limited basis, BBC News reports.

The remainder of the trust’s location will be placed on a “care and maintenance basis”, with the aim of opening a further 18 sometime in 2021, and the rest once there is a general upturn in the economy and the trust’s fortunes.

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