Photo: Wentworth Woodhouse by Jeff Pearson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed historic house in South Yorkshire, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history, architecture and gardens, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse stands in the village of Wentworth, South Yorkshire, with more than 300 rooms across some 250,000 square feet of floorspace.
It is often listed as the largest private residence in the United Kingdom.
The house is Grade I listed and sits within an 180-acre park, part of a wider estate that once covered 15,000 acres.
The original Jacobean house was rebuilt from the 1720s by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, later 1st Marquess of Rockingham, and was vastly expanded by his son Charles, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham.
Charles served twice as Prime Minister and made the house a centre of Whig political influence.
The estate passed to the Earls Fitzwilliam in the eighteenth century and remained with that family until 1989.
It now belongs to the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which is overseeing its restoration.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Wentworth Woodhouse
The original Jacobean house was rebuilt from the 1720s by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, later 1st Marquess of Rockingham, and was vastly expanded by his son Charles, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, who served twice as Prime Minister and made the house a centre of Whig political influence. The estate passed to the Earls Fitzwilliam in the eighteenth century, and that family held it until 1989. It now belongs to the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which is overseeing its restoration.
Architecture of Wentworth Woodhouse
The house presents a more restrained west front alongside a vast Palladian east front built to announce the family's wealth and political standing, with a principal facade often cited as one of the longest of any English country house.
Worth knowing
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, governed Britain twice as Prime Minister while the family seat here served as a hub of Whig politics.
Gardens & grounds at Wentworth Woodhouse
The grounds include gardens with mature trees and historic features.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Wentworth Woodhouse
Nearest station: Elsecar Rail Station (1.9 miles)
Open Tuesday to Sunday; gardens accessible from 10am, house operates on time-slot basis; check official website for current hours.
Places to visit near Wentworth Woodhouse
Old Holy Trinity Church, Wentworth
View Old Holy Trinity Church, Wentworth on heritage mapMonk Bretton Priory
View Monk Bretton Priory on heritage mapWentworth Castle Gardens
View Wentworth Castle Gardens on heritage mapConisbrough Castle
View Conisbrough Castle on heritage mapSt John the Evangelist's Church, Cadeby
View St John the Evangelist's Church, Cadeby on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Wentworth Woodhouse there are 1 historic properties, including 1 church.
Within 10 miles of Wentworth Woodhouse there are 7 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings and 2 churchs, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Wentworth Woodhouse there are 28 historic properties, including 16 historic buildings, 4 churchs and 3 castles, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Facts
A country house once called Britain's largest private home, now rescued room by room by a preservation trust.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- South Yorkshire, England
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