English Heritage has cancelled a series of concerts held annually in the grounds of Kenwood House in London this year, due the event being “no longer financially viable”.

The concerts have been held at Kenwood House for the past 55 years, but the 2006 event lost money after Camden Council’s Licensing Committee reduced the number of concerts from 10 to eight.

Commenting on the decision, Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “This is a very sad day for Kenwood as well as for all the people who enjoy coming to a beautiful setting to listen to music on a summer’s evening. Not only are the concerts a highlight in the London calendar, but they also provide crucial income for Kenwood House and Estate.

“It costs English Heritage £1.8m a year to run Kenwood House and in spite of money raised from donations and commercial activity we still lose £1.1m per annum. With the loss of the concerts – a vital part of our revenue-raising activities at Kenwood – this deficit will be significantly increased.”

However, Thurley said that English Heritage was “fully committed to exploring a range of options in the hope that it can bring concerts back to Kenwood in 2008”.