Visiting Wentworth Woodhouse.

The car park at Wentworth Garden centre is massive and free. There is no one to check you in and out. The notice at the entrance says it closes at 5pm, so I left the car there, knowing I would be back before then. I walked out of the entrance and followed the boundary wall on my right, turned right at the junction, and ten minutes walk along there takes you to Wentworth Woodhouse, the Georgian House. 

Just across the road I noticed an old windmill which has been converted to a house. That will make a nice picture. 

The view from the Windmill House across the valley. 

The big house is accessed from a long driveway. The first sight you see when you turn off the road is this abandoned building. I asked an elderly couple about it, they were out for a stroll. Apparently there used to be a big college here, and these were students living accommodation. It has been left to fall into disrepair for the last 20 years. What a shame, when it could have been converted into apartments if they had acted quickly. Now they are going to bulldoze it to the ground. 

I walked along the long driveway and came to the Stables. No horses I'm afraid. I took these photo's from inside the courtyard because the sun was in the wrong place to snap them from the outside. All these rooms look empty, also abandoned. There is a building site next to it, so some work is being done to rejuvenate the area. 

Can you just hear the clatter of hooves on the concrete. Nope. I can hear the banging of the digger machine right next door. 

Closer to the House is this information board. 

I have dug this pic out from the archives. This is what I found three years ago on a previous visit. I was so disappointed. 

It was a massive project to repair the roof. Doesn't it look grand now. At over 600 feet it has the longest facade in the country. It is currently owned by a Preservation Trust. 

Time was getting on so I first went inside to have a look around. It closes at 4pm. As I only had an hour and a half left the kind lady let me pay a reduced price for a Garden ticket, and said I could also look around the house. She saw I wanted to pay cash, but said it's normally card only, but on this occasion it was alright as long as I had the right money. I will put the inside pics on the next post. 

The grounds and garden are massive. That folly is quite a distance away and I didn't have time for a closer look. She gave me a map. 

This is the Ionic Temple, set high up in the corner of the grounds. 

There was a lot of landscaping work going on in the woods, to create an adventure playground where kids could have fun while studying nature. This is the view of the back of the house. 

In the summer this will be teeming with visitors. There are tables with parasols, where people can order their food in the cafe and eat outside.  

My time was up, quick visit to the Ladies. I still had an hour left so I walked to Wentworth Village. That was a nice end to the day out. 

I'll be back with the photo's of the interior of the Hall. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona