As part of more than £10m provided to support culture and heritage projects across the UK, the Chancellor has allocated £7.6m to cover ‘urgent and essential repairs’ to the house in South Yorkshire, a longstanding focus of the energetic heritage charity, SAVE Britain’s Heritage.
The funds for the Grade I listed country house, announced in the Autumn Statement, are subject to the approval of a sustainable business case. The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust agreed to buy the house in February 2016 and needs to raise an estimated £42m to pay for repairs over the next 12-15 years.
It is the UK’s largest private house and consists of two houses of different architectural styles built by The First Marquess of Rockingham between 1725 and 1750 – the west front of the house is in the baroque style and the east front is in the later Palladian style.
The former service wing will host events and the stables will become home to small businesses. Within the beautiful 18th century house and outbuildings more than a dozen apartments and cottages will be restored for residential use and as holiday lets. The National Trust will provide support in the first three years, including staff secondments.
View the full Autumn Statement, see SAVE’s summary and links and find out about Wentworth Woodhouse
