Wentworth Woodhouse: The House, the Estate and the Family

by Melvyn Jones, Joan Jones, Stephen Cooper

It was the home of a knight, a baron, a viscount, two marquises and nine earls. The family had estates not only in South Yorkshire, but also in North Yorkshire, the Midlands and Ireland, at their greatest extent covering nearly 120,000 acres. One head of household was beheaded. Another saw one of the last wolves in the British Isles. One owner built the Palladian mansion at Wentworth, which has the longest frontage of any country mansion in Britain, and was one of the earliest growers of pineapples in this country. One head of family was prime minister. Twice. Another provided financial assistance to more than 6,000 of his Irish tenants and their families to emigrate to Canada during the Great Famine. Another had a christening attended by 7,000 official guests. Yet another bought an ocean liner to go and search for buried treasure in the Pacific.

This copiously illustrated book explores the history of the house, the estate and the family over more than 400 years, drawing on a wide variety of sources, particularly the family records (the Wentworth Woodhouse Muniments) held in Sheffield Archives.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

Published June 14, 2021

Reviews

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the lives of this family, who are so much more than just this one building. Charting the rise and fall of the family and the house, there is much detail and clearly a lot of research has gone into the book.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am incredibly fussy when it comes to non-fiction, especially now since my reading habits have changed so if the content or subject matter doesn’t pique my interest then I’m afraid I won’t read it. But I was very interested in this book, being only a stone’s throw away from Wentworth Woodhouse I was instantly drawn to this book, so I took a leap and gave it a go and though some parts were a little long-winded I did thoroughly enjoy it!

It is no secret how much I love this house, I have lost the amounts of times I have walked nearby over the years, the estate and its surrounding areas are stunning and perfect for those peaceful country walks with the dog (though I am entirely biased on that subject!) so I particularly enjoyed the chapters which covered the estate’s vast geographic area, the surrounding boroughs and historical monuments all connected to the family in one way or another and all of which I know so well; such as Hoober Stand and Keppel’s Column (which btw is a great dog walk as long as you don’t get stuck in the occasional bog).

I have been fascinated with Wentworth Woodhouse and its vast historical family for…well probably my whole life and this book had everything I wanted from it. It’s a hugely insightful book telling the story of the family and their high society connections, the stories behind the house and its widespread historical monuments (which all can be seen today)

The book is set out with its labelled chapters and different sections from the family to the history in a way which allows you to dip in and out at pleasure, this will definitely be staying on my desk for future reference which will come in handy for my (secret) writing project.

The authors have obviously done a huge amount of research into the history of the estate, the family, its origins its scandals its connections and the secrets and history behind each monument, the writing is insightful and knowledgeable though at times parts felt a little sluggish, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment and future use of the book.

This is a must for anyone interested in Wentworth Woodhouse and the social history surrounding the estate!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book really interesting especially as I live near Wentworth and have only been to Wentworth Woodhouse a couple of times.

At the moment the house is being renovated and was quite run down when I last visited, but you could still see how it must have looked when it was first built and in the years after when the Gentry did a lot of entertaining and the grand balls they they had
You can imagine the Men in evening suits and the Lady's in their ball gowns stepping out of the carriages and entering the House with its ornate ceilings and life size statues, It must have looked magical.

I am quite ashamed to say that I have not made the most of exploring such a beautiful place as Wentworth Woodhouse and the grounds but after reading this book I am determining to put this right.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is well-written and researched. It's also unusual to find a short book about a historical subject, so it's nice to find one that knows when to stop; and the brevity gives it more a nice punch that one with filler. I suspect many readers will be tempted to visit that area of the country. I'll probably remember this story for a long time. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for a fair review!!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-researched and insightful work about everything the title includes. Jones's work provides information that adds to the understanding of not only the property but the people that created it and had a chance to shape history in multiple countries. using photographic evidence, journals, and other historical records, this work successfully does what the author set out to do. Fans of historical architecture, social structure, and general history could possibly enjoy this work.

[Ｓｈｉｆｒａ ♕ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! I am a big english history nerd, so this was just my cuppa. There is a great depth and detail to the research that comes through in a very accessible to the reader manner. I especially enjoyed the format focus into one family over the centuries. Left me eager to visit Wentworth Woodhouse one day.
I received an ARC for my honest review, thank you.

[Carol Keogh (Goodfellow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a great house, this is a fascinating and informative read which I really enjoyed. The authors are very knowledgeable on their subject, it is really well researched and filled with anecdotes on the owners of the estate house. I recommend it highly. My grateful thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the authors for an ARC of this really well written book.