Lifeline funding package for listed mansion
Rotherham stately home Wentworth Woodhouse has been shrouded in a huge scaffold shell for the last 18 months as £7.6m of roof repairs were carried out.
Work is almost complete and the metal shroud is now coming down from the Grade I listed mansion.
But thanks to a Government grant of £720,000, further vital roof work can soon begin at each end of the building’s East Front.
Scaffolding will be erected next month and work is scheduled to start in January, thanks to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust being announced as one of 162 organisations to be successful in the latest round of grants from the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund.
More than £9m has been allocated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to ensure jobs and access to arts, culture and heritage in local communities are protected in the months ahead.
Historic England has allocated more than £3.9m in awards from the Heritage Stimulus Fund, part of a £120m capital investment from the Culture Recovery Fund, to restart construction and maintenance projects facing delays or increased costs as a result of the pandemic and save specialist livelihoods in the sector.
Credit: Hirst Conservation
Over the last three years, roof repairs have been ongoing over Wentworth Woodhouse’s Riding School and the mansion’s central block of State Rooms,the eastern section of the Long Gallery, its Bedlam Wing and Chapel.
The emergency grant now means roofs over the Mansion’s North Pavilion, North and South Quadrants, the Meter House and a further section of the Long Gallery can also be made safe.
This will protect rooms below, contribute to the building’s sustainability and support jobs in construction and traditional crafts, such as stonemasonry and lead-working.
Sarah McLeod, CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, said: “We are incredibly grateful to receive this very generous Heritage At Risk Repair Grant.
“Over the last three years a huge amount of vital repair work has been undertaken to protect the buildings and their beautiful architectural features.
“This grant means we can now tackle other roofs in a number of Grade I listed areas which are also in a critical state of decay.
“Wentworth Woodhouse is arguably the greatest and most challenging restoration project for a generation and the strong relationship we have with Historic England is of immense support to us, in particular their team based in York.”
Duncan Wilson, Historic England chief executive, said: “This funding is a lifeline which is kickstarting essential repairs and maintenance at many of our most precious historic sites, so they can begin to recover from the damaging effects of Covid-19.
“It is also providing employment for skilled craft workers who help to keep historic places alive and the wheels of the heritage sector turning.
“Our shared heritage is an anchor for us all in these challenging times and this funding will help ensure it remains part of our collective future.”
