One of the finest and grandest Georgian houses in England
Standing in 87 acres of gardens and grounds it has extensive views over former parkland, including a deer park and lakes, which are vested in the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Amenity Trust.
The current Wentworth Woodhouse was built for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham from circa 1725, the work continuing over four decades, and then passed to the Fitzwilliam family. The house is now owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust whose sole purpose is regeneration of the site for the benefit of South Yorkshire.
The house is now open to the public, Wednesday to Sunday, for morning tours, afternoon free-flow exploration and events.
With a Tea Room, Shop and new Afternoon Tea in the Long Gallery there is plenty to keep you and your family entertained.
The Original House
No one knows what the original house which stood here actually looked like, though the current house does hold clues to its earlier lives. The double-square court, with the Porters’ Lodge in the outer wall, is typical of houses built in the reign of Henry VIll and was of the classical style made fashionable by Inigo Jones. Traces of his influence can be seen in the Chapel Court.
One House, Many Styles
The current house was built in two main phases. The West Front, some 130 feet long, was the first part to be built in the English Baroque Style and is set against what remains of the original 17th century house.
By the time the West Front was being finished, it was already being considered not in vogue, and an East Front ‘extension’ was begun. The great East Elevation has a length of over 600 feet.
New decorative schemes and minor alterations to the form and function of rooms within Wentworth Woodhouse occurred throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries as the house passed from father to son. Electricity only came in 1904!
Lady Mabel College
Following World War II, part of Wentworth Woodhouse, and its associated parkland and the entirety of the Stables, Riding School and Mews Court, were leased to the West Riding County Council for use as a teacher training college. In 1950 the house became the Lady Mabel College of Physical Education, which later merged with Sheffield City Polytechnic. Then in 1986, the polytechnic moved back to Sheffield and vacated the property.
In Private Hands
In 1989, Wentworth Woodhouse, Stables, Riding School, Mews Court, college buildings and immediate setting of parks and gardens were purchased by Mr Wensley Haydon-Baillie for use as a private residence.
This separated Wentworth Woodhouse Estate from its wider historic estate.
Wentworth Woodhouse was again put on the market in 1998 and purchased the following year by the late Mr Clifford Newbold and his family. In 2017 the Newbolds sold the house to the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.
