Wortley Hall is a
stately home in the small
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...
village of
Wortley, located south of
Barnsley, England. For more than six decades the hall has been chiefly associated with the British
Labour movement
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
. It is currently used by several
trades unions
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
and other organisations as a venue for residential training courses and other meetings, as well as for purely social gatherings.
The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with graduated slate roofs to an irregular floor plan, mostly in 2 storeys with a 7-bay south front.
The hall is a licensed venue for
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
and
civil partnership
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
ceremonies, and is open to day visitors who wish to explore its formal gardens and extensive grounds.
History
A manor house at Wortley was rebuilt by Sir Richard Wortley in 1586. During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
his son
Sir Francis Wortley, 1st Baronet, like his powerful ally
Sir Thomas Wentworth of
Wentworth Woodhouse
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. The building has ...
, was a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
and fought for
the King, allowing Wortley Hall to be used as a garrison for 150
dragoons. However, in 1644 Sir Francis was captured and imprisoned in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
and on his release in 1649 obliged to
pay a heavy fine to recover his property. Wortley then eventually descended to an illegitimate daughter who married
Sidney Montagu
Sir Sidney Montagu (died 25 February 1644) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1593 and 1642. He supported the Royalist cause in the First English Civil War.
Montagu was one of the younger of the ei ...
, second son of
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG PC FRS JP (27 July 162528 May 1672) was an English military officer, politician and diplomat, who fought for the Parliamentarian army during the First English Civil War and was an MP at various time ...
, c.1670.
The Hall was significantly remodelled by
Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni (1686 – 8 June 1746), also known as James Leoni, was an Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florentine Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had also been an inspiration for Andrea Pallad ...
in 1742–46 and the East Wing added in 1757–61 for
Sir Edward Wortley Montagu
Sir Edward Wortley Montagu (8 February 167822 January 1761) was British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, husband of the writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and father of the writer and traveller Edward Wortley Montagu.
Son of Sidney Wortley Mo ...
, MP and Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
who died in 1761. The builder of this section was
John Platt of
Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
.
[Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.308]
Montagu left Wortley Hall to his daughter
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
, who had married Prime Minister
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...
. From her it passed in 1794 to their son, Colonel
James Archibald Stuart (1747–1818), who added the surname Wortley to his own (and later also added Mackenzie). He left it to his son Colonel
James Archibald (1776–1845) who was MP for
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
from 1818 to 1826, when he was created Baron Wharncliffe.
Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 3rd Baron Wharncliffe was created
Earl of Wharncliffe
Earl of Wharncliffe, in the West Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
The earldom was created in 1876 for Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 3rd Baron Wharncliffe. He was a descendan ...
in 1876. The Hall was the seat of the Earls of Wharncliffe until the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, when it was used by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, after which its structural condition deteriorated.
In 1950, a group of local trade union activists identified the hall as a possible educational and holiday centre, and established a
co-operative which succeeded in purchasing the hall for those purposes. It was formally opened on 5 May 1951.
In 1980, the hall was used as the setting of the country estate in the
Ken Loach
Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...
TV film ''
The Gamekeeper''.
The hall was highlighted in series six, episode 12 of ''
Great British Railway Journeys
''Great British Railway Journeys'' is a 2010-2021 BBC documentary series presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister who was instrumental in saving the Settle to Carlisle line from closure in 1989. The docum ...
'' by
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as '' Great British Railway Journeys'' and '' Great Continental Railway Jour ...
on
BBC Two on 20 January 2015. Michael Portillo described its current role, met the general manager and stayed the night. He showed the links to trade unionism.
See also
*
*
Listed buildings in Wortley, South Yorkshire
Wortley, South Yorkshire, Wortley is a civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. The parish contains 25 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List f ...
*
Earl of Wharncliffe
Earl of Wharncliffe, in the West Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
The earldom was created in 1876 for Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 3rd Baron Wharncliffe. He was a descendan ...
References
External links
Wortley Hall websiteFriends of Wortley Hall Gardens
{{coord, 53.4912, -1.5306, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Country houses in South Yorkshire
Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
Tourist attractions in Barnsley
Co-operatives in the United Kingdom
Grade II* listed buildings in South Yorkshire
Wortley, South Yorkshire