Since Rotherham’s Georgian stately gem, Wentworth Woodhouse, was taken on by a preservation trust in 2017, over £30 million of restoration work has been carried out and the House has become a major South Yorkshire tourist attraction. The Grade I listed mansion is now, mostly, water-tight, careful heritage restoration work has been carried out on its Palladian and Baroque fronts, and the award-winning transformation of the derelict Camellia House into a destination café is one of a number of improvements to the 87-acre Gardens.
Much has been achieved and the Preservation Trust’s 10th anniversary of taking ownership of Wentworth Woodhouse is still a year away – but CEO Sarah McLeod OBE sees 2026 as an important year for planning and launching new projects to ensure the Trust’s milestone year is truly a time to celebrate. “The Wentworth family of staff, trustees, and volunteers, will be pulling out all the stops,” she said. “We are determined that in 2027 visitors will be able to explore more of our historic spaces and have new activities to enjoy – and that our already huge, positive impact on South Yorkshire will be even more impressive.”
One of the biggest tasks will be a £400,000 refurbishment on the ground floor Chapel in 2026 so that the 13 paintings which had hung there for centuries can return in 2027. The paintings of Christ and the Apostles are dated to 1630 and have recently been discovered as the work of Flemish painter Gerard Seghars, a contemporary of Reubens. Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s trustee, Martin Drury, made it his mission to find out their story and raise funds for their restoration in London. The Trust’s Digital Volunteer Team has filmed some of the process:
The Chapel was the family’s private place of worship and it is thought that the paintings arrived as a set of 14 shortly before 1789 when ’14 large picture frames’ were bought for the Chapel at a cost of £41.1s. One of the paintings is now in a private collection.
Fundraising, to raise the £400,000 needed, will start immediately as the paintings can only return when improvements have been made to the Chapel’s lighting, heating, safety, disability access, and security. For example, solar screening is needed on the windows and stone, and plaster and woodwork require cleaning and repairs.
Wentworth Woodhouse Chapel Interior
The paintings being removed from the Wentworth Woodhouse Chapel
Restorer, Simon Folkes, with painting of Jude Thadeus
Martin Wylde with St Bartholomew, partially cleaned
Close-up of the painting of Simon the Zealot during cleaning
There’s also big news for young visitors… A huge ‘learn through play’ outdoor play area is being planned to give families more reason to visit Wentworth Woodhouse. If plans succeed, in 2027, children will be able to learn about South Yorkshire’s industrial heritage as they explore. The development will be based in the, already popular, Forest of Bewilderment woodlands play area within the Gardens.
Also in 2026, changes will be happening in Mews Court, close to the site’s Grade I listed Stables complex. In a few years’ time, this cottage-lined courtyard, where equestrian staff once lived, will play an important role as it becomes the new visitor entrance to the House & Gardens. The area is being landscaped, and, in 2026, a gated archway will be created. Eventually, this gateway will lead visitors into the huge and impressive courtyard at the Grade I listed Stables complex, where the Trust hopes to set up skills training spaces, shops, craft workshops, a visitors’ café, and events area. The Riding School now has a new roof and Phase I of regeneration works was completed in 2025. It was funded with £4.6 million of the Government’s £20 million Levelling Up investment in Rotherham, and Historic England provided £500,000 of partnership funding.
These goals will be achieved step-by-step over a number of years, but the Trust is already on with the colossal task of restoring the Stables area.