Retford Ladies Probus Club members welcomed David Allott to their June meeting to talk about ‘Wentworth Woodhouse, Past, Present and Future’.
On the outskirts of Rotherham in the little village of Wentworth stands the biggest privately owned mansion in the UK. The facade is the longest in Europe and at 600 feet is twice the length of two football pitches.
In the 1200s the family that owned the land made a clearing in the forest to build a house. This was called a Woodhouse, hence their surname. In the 1300’s the Wentworth family who took their name from the village married their son Robert to Emma of the Woodhouse and this lineage continued for 300 years. It was not until the 17th century that the family began to make extravagant changes and forge political connections.
The beautiful brick mansion we know today dates from 1724 and was commissioned by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, nephew to the Earl of Stratford. It took 25 years to build, costing £82,500 – equivalent to £9,500,000 today.
The family who, made their wealth through land and politics, were incredibly influential. The house was passed down family lines, enduring having to endure 40 years of open cast mining and being at the centre of numerous scandals.
The earldom was about to die out and the house fell into disrepair, passing hands several times until it was finally purchased by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. Today it is open to the public and next year it is hosting the RHS when visitors will be able to see the famous camellias. What a journey it has been!
The Probus Club next meets on Wednesday 11th September at Westfield Community Centre at 10.00am for 10.30am, when David Ingleby will be ‘Gardening the World’. All are welcome.