What's On January 2020
WELCOME TO WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE With a fascinating history, almost as long as it’s facade, Wentworth Woodhouse boasts more than 300 rooms and is surrounded by a 180-acre park. The house has been owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust since 2017 and is currently undergoing a 25-year restoration project with an estimated cost of approximately £150million. There is a huge task ahead to restore and protect Grade I and Grade II listed features and bring the house back to its former glory. WWPT’s Chair Dame Julie Kenny CBE explains: “We purchased the site just in time. Significant heritage features were at risk. Our Masterplan means we can set about putting right the wrongs of the past years for the future of our local community, and the nation. We will ensure the estate flourishes financially so that its future is never threatened again.” To support this ongoing work, and daily operation, the Trust has established a successful business on-site. With the help of funding from the National Trust, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund, WWPT now has 50 staff, over 200 volunteers and has established a business including tours, retail and catering – the house now has a gift shop and café – plus a thriving events calendar. It is also a popular location for weddings, film and TV productions. This revenue plus donations, will help to fuel the Trust’s vision to create a world class, visitor attraction which will boost the local economy and improve lives in Rotherham and South Yorkshire.
WW PUBLIC CONSULTATION Tue 28 January, 2– 3:30pm Wed 12 February, 9:30 –11am / 6 –7:30pm This January you are invited to join Dame Julie Kenny, Chair of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and Sarah McLeod CEO for a special event at Wentworth Woodhouse. Refreshments will be served as your hosts provide an update on what has been described as the most exciting and challenging heritage project for a generation. Visit wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk to book your free place.
WW WALKING GROUP Sun 2 February, 11am, £2 Come and join us for the Wentworth Woodhouse walking group, commencing on Sunday 2nd February then the first Sunday of each month thereafter. Starting at 11am at the main house entrance, the walk around the Wentworth Estate is the perfect opportunity to get fit and meet new people. The walk is open to all abilities and all ages!
CINEMA Take a step away from the helium balloons, sentimental cards and sugar-sweet clichéd chick flicks with our alternative take on Valentines. This February, in conjunction with Futurist cinema, we are celebrating Cupid’s favourite day with the screenings of two popular movies. Our cinema screenings are held upstairs in our state dining rooms. If any member of your party has access and/or mobility issues, please get in touch with our bookings team on 01226 749 639.
HIND OF THE MORNING Tue 14 January – Sun 23 February, Free entry We are planning something very special to celebrate the much-anticipated re-opening of the exquisite Fitzwilliam family chapel, following a programme of conservation repair to the roof. With funding from Arts Council England and WE Great Place, we have been working with award-winning husband and wife team Amanda and Richard Johnson. Both former Wentworth Village residents, Amanda is a composer and musician and Richard is a visual artist, both recognised for their multisensory installations inspired by unsung heroes and heroines from the past. Working with a team of young people aged 11–18 and supported by Rotherham Council, Amanda and Richard will create an ambitious new music and art installation for the chapel called the Hind of the Morning.
Hind of the Morning is inspired by a story handed down to Richard by his adopted grandfather: in July 1912, George V and Queen Mary visited Rotherham and stayed at Wentworth Woodhouse as guests of the Earl Fitzwilliam. In honour of the royal visit, local coal miners worked together on a remarkable feat of artistic endeavour. They exposed a large and level bed of coal that out-cropped close to the surface in the fields around Wentworth Woodhouse. Harry remembered that the miners swept the coal so clean that it shone like a mirror. At dawn on the day of the royal visit, he watched as a deer and her calf crossed the mirror. They were gradually bathed in golden light as the mirror reflected the summer sunrise. Amanda and Richard’s installation promises to capture some of the magic of Harry’s story.
From 14 January to 23 February, this installation will be available to view for free during our usual opening hours.
This installation is free to attend, however donations are welcome as always. Hind of the Morning is available to view whenever the house is open.
DARKEST HOUR (2017)
AMÉLIE (2001)
Fri 14 February Doors 6:15pm, Showing 7:15pm Adult £12, Child (3–12) £6
Sat 15 February Doors 6:15pm, Showing 7:15pm Adult (15+ only) £12
Enjoy something different this Valentine’s Day at this unique screening of the film Darkest Hour (PG) set in the stunning state room that features in the film. Be submerged into the set of Darkest Hour, as you enter the Pillared Hall through the Marble Saloon and into the Whistlejacket Room, which was a key location in the motion picture. Presented by WE Great Place on a 12-foot screen, this will be a unique cinematic experience not to be missed! Drinks and refreshments will be available to purchase on the night.
Join French waitress Amélie, who, after finding an old box of childhood treasures hidden beneath the floor in her bathroom, commences on a journey to enrich the lives of her neighbours, and perhaps even her own. Starring Audrey Tautou, this is the ultimate feel good movie about one woman and her vow to bring joy to everyone she meets. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments will be on sale on the night, providing the ultimate night out.
LADY MABEL SMITH
THE STORY OF LADY MABEL
LADY MABEL SMITH LUNCHEON
Thu 16 January, 6pm £20
Fri 17 January, 11:45am £30
Join us for this lecture hosted by Julie Banham to hear the Lady Mabel Smith stories.
We will be hosting a celebratory luncheon looking back at college life in the days of the Lady Mabel College of Physical Education.
Unlike her brother, one of the richest men in Britain and who’s extravagant lifestyle she reportedly deplored, Lady Mabel had a social conscience having seen the living conditions of the estate’s working families, while growing up in the contrasting grandeur of the ‘Big House’. She became a socialist politician and later an alderman who brokered a deal with Sir Alec Clegg of West Riding County Council to lease part of her family’s home for use as an educational facility, leaving 26 rooms for the Fitzwilliam’s apartment.
The house is more commonly known as the residence of royalty and members of parliament. However, Wentworth Woodhouse was once home to the Lady Mabel College of Physical Education. The college officially opened as a training provider for female PE teachers in September 1949 thanks to the generosity of Lady Mabel Fitzwilliam, or Smith, the sister of the 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, William ‘Billy’ Wentworth-Fitzwilliam. Lady Mabel College became the first of its kind to be council funded unlike the eight other privately owned PE colleges in Britain at that time. Fees were minimal, if any at all, with training, accommodation and meals ‘on the house’, so to speak. Students mainly just had to pay for their uniforms and any day-to-day living costs but low-income families were entitled to grants to help subsidise this. As part of our week commemorating the 70 th anniversary of the opening of the Lady Mabel College of Physical Education, we will be hosting a series of celebratory events, exploring the fascinating history of the house, the people and its students.
LADY MABEL TOURS Tue 10 March, Thu 23 April, Sat 30 May & Sat 13 June, 11am £25 (Group max. 16) In 1950, a women’s teacher training PE college was established at Wentworth Woodhouse. Join one of our ex-Lady Mabel students for a guided tour to see some of the rooms used by staff and students in their day-to-day life. Learn from your guide what student life was like in the magnificent Big House. Hear their tales about living here and the impact it had on their lives and visit the ‘mock-up’ student bedroom, albeit a tidier version!
Hosted by Dame Julie Kenny, current Chair of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, and with guest speakers, attendees will enjoy a warm lunch in the original dining room of the Lady Mabel students.
Doors open at 6pm for welcome drinks and canapés (included in the ticket price). Each lecture will last approx. 1 hour and will be followed by a Q&A and, if applicable, a book signing with the speaker.
GARDEN LECTURE SERIES Join us for our annual lecture series, where we will delve into historic landscapes and gardens. Hear from Head Gardeners working at some of the finest stately homes and horticultural experts who are researching and preserving some of our most-loved historic gardens.
MELVYN JONES, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR Thu 23 January, 6 – 8pm £20 Discover the history of the park and gardens at Wentworth Woodhouse from the 16th century to the present day with local historian Melvyn Jones. Learn about the development of the deer park and landscape influenced by the great designers of the 18th century; the development of the ornamental garden and specialised glasshouses; as well as the menagerie with such unlikely inmates as a brown bear, a kangaroo and an emu!
Visit wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk or call 01226 351 161 to book your place.
STEVE PORTER, HEAD OF GARDENS AND LANDSCAPE AT CHATSWORTH
SCOTT JAMIESON, HEAD GARDENER AT WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE
Thu 13 February, 6 – 8pm £20
Thu 12 March, 6 – 8pm £20
The 105-acre garden at Chatsworth is the product of nearly 500 years of careful cultivation. Head Gardener Steve Porter will detail the many changes and developments of Chatsworth’s stunning grounds and picturesque landscapes over the years and will let you in on the exciting plans still to come.
Scott has looked after the historic gardens at Wentworth Woodhouse for over 15 years and, after years as a private family garden, now has the great pleasure of sharing his work with visitors. He will be speaking about the many changes to the gardens over the years and his plans for their future development.
ABIGAIL PICKERSGILL, WENTWORTH CASTLE GARDENS Thu 9 April, 6 – 8pm £20 Abigail will be visiting us from Wentworth Castle Gardens, a Grade I listed Parklands and Gardens in South Yorkshire. At this lecture she will be discussing the tale of two Wentworths and the history that entwines the two locations. Abigail is the Gardens and Outdoors Manager at Wentworth Castle Gardens and will be revealing the challenges facing a Grade I listed gardens, home to no less than 26 buildings and monuments.
HOUSE TOURS Come and join us at Wentworth Woodhouse and learn more about the rich history of this special place through one of our tours. Hear the stories of the of the family and people that once lived and worked here and marvel at the size, scale and architecture of the state rooms and more private family lodgings.
Our house tours run Wednesday–Sunday. Please visit wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk for specific times.
National Trust members receive 50% discount on tour admission prices.
ROOFTOP TOUR
WENTWORTH HOUSE TOUR
Adult £12, Child (5–17) £6
Adult £22, Child (5–17) £11
Experience Wentworth Woodhouse from an entirely new perspective on a rooftop tour. The house is now shrouded in 700 tonnes of scaffolding to enable vital roof repairs to take place, but the capital works have also allowed us to take visitors to new heights and experience the house and its surrounding areas from a whole new level. Climb the 135 steps to the rooftop, where your knowledgeable guide will show you the ‘three roofs’ of Wentworth Woodhouse’s different houses and give an update on the restoration work taking place. A fully accessible lift will be available for visitors who require assistance. The vast rooftop will be covered by a temporary scaffolded roof to protect the building works and our visitors whatever the weather. As you climb the stairs, you will be able to catch glimpses of the surrounding countryside, which was once all owned by the Fitzwilliam family as far as the eye can see.
Discover the formal state rooms of Wentworth Woodhouse and its vast history with a Wentworth tour, led by one of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides.
CLIFFORD TOUR Adult £22, Child (5–17) £11 Join one of our knowledgeable guides for an hour-long exploration of this South Yorkshire country house gem. In contrast to the stately Wentworth Tour, discover the private family rooms and learn more about the people who called Wentworth Woodhouse home on the Clifford Tour. See the stunning Long Gallery, which has been restored by the previous owners the Newbold family; discover the impressive Green Dining Room, the wallpaper of which is coloured with arsenic; as well as the Earl of Strafford’s 16th century bedroom.
The tour encompasses the rise and fall of the house from its beginnings in the 1600’s, to its time as a family home and teacher training college, right through to present day and the work of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. As you journey through the state rooms, see first-hand the splendour of this 18th century house still intact after a chequered past.
HEAD GARDENERS TOURS Wed 12 & 19 February, 11am Thu 23 April, 11am Sat 9 May, 11am / 2pm £25 (Group max. 15) Take a stroll with our Head Gardener Scott for a unique opportunity to discover the historic garden at Wentworth Woodhouse. Previously a private garden, Scott has looked after this special place for 15 years and now has the great pleasure of sharing his work with new visitors. The garden hosts a unique collection of plants and trees as well as some of the remaining historical features, notably the Camellia House and impressive South Terrace.
SNOWDROPS TOURS Wed–Sun, throughout February 10am / 2pm Join us for our popular snowdrops tours, returning once again for 2020. As Winter’s icy grip starts to waiver and the February sun daily gathers warmth, snowdrops blink and peer and raise their heads and herald the coming of spring. For many years the gardening team at Wentworth Woodhouse have tirelessly divided bulbs to carpet the garden with snowdrops. They nestle under towering ancient trees, dance beneath the scented spidery witch hazel flowers and brave the harshest of snows. Snowdrops are the true portent of spring and we invite you to take a tour with us. Take in our wonderful garden features on a mile-long walk, pass the enigmatic Camellia House which shelters our historical camellia plants, take in the wonderful views from the expansive South Terrace and follow in the footsteps of all those who called Wentworth Woodhouse home.
WENTWORTH ACCORDING TO BOB Every Sat, January–September 11am, £50 (Group max. 4) We are delighted to be running an extended programme of these very special tours this year due to popular demand. So join Bob, the only member of our staff who served the Fitzwilliam Family at the house nearly half a century ago! A former carpenter and joiner, Bob has a wealth of knowledge that uncovers not only the secrets of the house but also many a tale! Each tour has limited capacity so book quick and experience the house in this unique way, be prepared to be entertained as Bob has many stories to share, with a great Yorkshire sense of humour.
FRIENDS OF WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE We are delighted to announce our Friends of Wentworth Woodhouse scheme. Join us as a friend and help support our work to restore the house and reserve this special place for future generations, while enjoying unique benefits and offers.
MEMBERSHIP
SILVER
GOLD
An exclusive behind the scenes tour per year detailing conservation highlights
X
Early previews of new tours
X
Priority booking for events
X
X
Exclusive early access to sale days in the shop
X
X
Quarterly newsletter
X
X
Invitation to the annual members’ event to hear an exclusive update from our Chair and CEO
X
X
Free entry into an annual prize draw at the members’ event
X
X
One free tour per year
X
X
Individual (Annual) Joint (Annual)
£50 £90
£70 £110
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
SUPPORT US
KEEP IN TOUCH
JOIN US
Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust is a charity and relies on fundraising and its own income generation to undertake this huge restoration project and open more spaces to visitors. Every penny really does count and your memberships will help us achieve our ambitious plans to restore this great house and ensure its survival.
We welcome 1000’s of visitors each year to Wentworth Woodhouse who visit the house and its grounds to experience our tours, events, tearoom or retail shop. All proceeds and revenue help us to maintain, restore and develop the site and we welcome all donations no matter how small. Find out more about how to support us by visiting wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk/supportus
Stay up to date with everything happening in and around the house by joining our mailing list.
Please email ‘I want to be a friend’ to info@wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk or phone 01226 351 161.
Head to our website wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk
Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust Wentworth Rotherham, S62 7TQ 01226 351 161 info@wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk Keep up to date @wentworth_house @wentworth.woodhouse.10 @wentworth_woodhouse
Charity Nº 01155374 Š Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust 2020
All information in this guide was correct at the time of print. We advise visitors to check the website for any alterations to the programme.