Wortley Hall

Wortley Hall in the picturesque village of Wortley, stands in 26 acres of formal grounds and woodland surrounded by 242 hectares of park land. The hall was the formal home of the Wortley family for hundreds of years.
It is believed that the original manor house of the Wortley family was situated on Wharncliffe Chase, with the present hall being built during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547). The fashion at the time was to build inside parks away from the villages and there are many
examples of this in the area.
The name Wharncliffe originally Querncliffe, refers to the quarrying of the millstone grit for the production of 'quern' stones (used to grind grain for flour).
Sir Richard Wortley rebuilt the Hall in 1586 and Sir Francis Wortley turned it into a fortress in 1642 whilst commanding the Loyalist Garrison for King Charles I in the Battle of Tankersley Moor.
Deer hunting was the park's mainstay, leading to conflict with Henry Savile, Lord of Tankersley and the forced eviction of local freeholders. Records indicate this ended in about 1730 when several areas were let to tenants after the removal of the deer.
By the middle of the 18th century the hall was in a state of decay until Edward Wortley started rebuilding in 1743. In the 1800's, the hall was inhabited by James Archibald Stuart Wortley and his wife Lady Caroline Creighton. It is from this period that the hall grew on the back of wealth gained from coal mining in South Yorkshire, with countless contributors to the
grounds and the hall reflecting what we see today.
In 1939 part of the hall was used by the American military. When they left in 1945 the hall again fell into decay and went on the market. The hall was purchased by the workers: the trade unions, the labour party and the co-operative movement, led by the former miner and socialist pioneer Vin Williams.
Wortley Hall is a treasure trove of historical pieces of architecture including an ice house, sunken and terraced gardens, period fire places, secret doors, servants' quarters and an array of decorative works of art and history. The hall has now widened its scope to cater for cyclists, walkers, weddings, traditional educational conferences and schools for working people. It offers bar meals and an à la carte restaurant.
Part of the Trans Pennine Trail runs through the Wharncliffe estate making Wortley village and Hall a pleasant resting place.

For more information go to www.wortleyhall.com