Multimillion-pound restoration of Wentworth Woodhouse stables begins

The restoration of a Grade I listed stables in the grounds of a South Yorkshire stately home is to begin.

The derelict Georgian building at Wentworth Woodhouse will become the main entrance to the site for visitors.

A kitchen, cafe and events space will also be created as part of the £5.1m project at the site, near Rotherham.

Sarah McLeod, CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, said the proposals would help to "boost this region's tourist economy".

The stables were the largest and most expensive in England when they were built in 1782, according to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

The building took 16 years to complete and housed 84 hunting, riding and carriage horses and more than 30 stable boys, grooms and gardeners.

It also contained a riding school, a carriage house, a saddlery and an inner courtyard with a large fountain.

From the 1940s to the 1970s, parts of the complex were turned into classrooms and sports facilities for students at the Lady Mabel College of Physical Education, which opened in 1950.

But when the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust took over the site in 2017, the stables were in a poor state of repair.

Under the regeneration plans, the south west corner will become the main entrance for visitors to the larger attraction.

Ms McLeod said: "It will help us to draw more visitors, which will further boost this region's tourist economy and help us to employ more people.

"The kitchen will be a very valuable asset for delivering one of the trust's key aims - developing the skills of local people."

The project is funded by £4.6m of Rotherham's Levelling Up money from government and £500,000 from Historic England.

Council leader Chris Read said: "Wentworth Woodhouse is a local gem and these improvements will help in making it a spectacular visitor attraction to be enjoyed by locals and visitors for years to come."

Work to create the new kitchens is expected to be completed in 2024.

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