Wentworth Woodhouse

Wentworth Woodhouse
East front of Wentworth Woodhouse
(May 2015)
Wentworth Woodhouse is located in South Yorkshire
Wentworth Woodhouse
Location within South Yorkshire
General information
StatusUnder restoration
TypeStately home
Architectural style
LocationWentworth, South Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates53°28′27″N 1°24′17″W / 53.47417°N 1.40472°W / 53.47417; -1.40472
OwnerWentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust
Technical details
Floor count5
Floor area250,000 sq ft (23,000 sq m)
Design and construction
Architect(s)
  • William Etty
  • Ralph Tunnicliffe
  • Henry Flitcroft
  • John Carr
Other information
Number of roomsMore than 300
Website
www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated29 April 1952
Reference no.1132769[1]
Designated1 June 1984
Reference no.1001163[2]

Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Wentworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is currently owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.[3] The building has more than 300 rooms, with 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) of floorspace,[4] including 124,600 square feet (11,580 m2) of living area, and was – until it ceased to be privately owned – often listed as the largest private residence in the United Kingdom.[5][6][7] It covers an area of more than 2.5 acres (1.0 ha),[citation needed] and is surrounded by a 180-acre (73 ha) park, and an estate of 15,000 acres (6,100 ha).

The original Jacobean house was rebuilt by Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham (1693–1750), and vastly expanded by his son, the 2nd Marquess, who was twice Prime Minister, and who established Wentworth Woodhouse as a Whig centre of influence.[8] In the 18th century, the house was inherited by the Earls Fitzwilliam and the family of the last earl owned it until 1989. It now belongs to the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and is undergoing restoration.

  1. ^ Historic England. "Wentworth Woodhouse (1132769)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Wentworth Woodhouse (1001163)". Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Wentworth Woodhouse – now open for house tours, garden tours soon". Wentworth Woodhouse. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Visiting Britain's Largest and Smallest Houses by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com – A Syndicate Of Talent".
  5. ^ The Sunday Times Magazine, 11 February 2007, p 19
  6. ^ "Wentworth Woodhouse: A vision of greatness". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  7. ^ Passino, Carla. "'Pride and Prejudice' Estate Is Up for Sale". Forbes. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  8. ^ M. J. Charlesworth, "The Wentworths: Family and Political Rivalry in the English Landscape Garden" Garden History 14.2 (Autumn 1986):120–137) passim.