Wortley Hall 4.94

Wortley Hall is a stately home in the small South Yorkshire village of Wortley, located south of Barnsley. For more than six decades the hall has been chiefly associated with the British Labour movement. It is currently used by several trades unions and other organisations as a venue for residential training courses and other meetings, as well as for purely social gatherings.The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with graduated slate roofs to an irregular floor plan, mostly in 2 storeys with a 7-bay south front.The hall is a licensed venue for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, and is open to day visitors who wish to explore its formal gardens and extensive grounds.HistoryA manor house at Wortley was rebuilt by Sir Richard Wortley in 1586. During the English Civil War his son Sir Francis Wortley, 1st Baronet, like his powerful ally Sir Thomas Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse, was a Royalist and fought for the King, allowing Wortley Hall to be used as a garrison for 150 dragoons. However, in 1644 Sir Francis was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London and on his release in 1649 obliged to pay a heavy fine to recover his property. Wortley then eventually descended to an illegitimate daughter who married Sidney Montagu, second son of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, c.1670.