
Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham - the Long Tea Room. The original remaining part of the house replaced a Jacobean house, and was begun in 1725. By 1734, before the house was complete, plans were drawn up to vastly extend the house in the Palladian style and work commenced rapidly, but was not completed - with further additions - until 1772. The main architects were Ralph Tunnicliffe for the original rebuilt (English Baroque), Henry Flitcroft for the majority of the Palladian house, and John Carr for revisions and extensions. Built for the Earl of Rockingham, it was lived in until 1989 (at least in part - much of the Palladian house was requisitioned during the war, and then served as an educational facility until 1989). After the last resident had died, using a retained 40 room apartment, and the college has vacated due to maintenance costs, the house was sold - much of the contents had gone in auction sales of 1948, 1986, and 1998. It was bought and sold to individuals a couple of times until it was acquired by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust in 2016, who have embarked on a 25-year restoration plan, in conjunction with the National Trust. The roof has been replaced, making the house watertight for the first time in many years, but a vast amount of work remains.
Wentworth, Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England - Wentworth Woodhouse
April 2025