The Wentworth Follies
Needle's Eye
Hoober Stand
Keppel's Column
Rockingham Mausoleum
A Stitch in Time
Only some two to four miles from the centre of Rotherham, Wentworth Park and its environs form an island of semi-rural beauty and tranquillity in the post-industrial urban sprawl that constitutes much of this southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.Home to the 2nd Marquis of Rockingham, twice Prime Minister of England in the latter part of the eighteenth century and famous for his staunch championship of American Independence, Wentworth boasts a number of tourist attractions. Among these are four structures associated with the 2nd Marquis and his father, Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquis of Rockingham, formerly Earl of Malton. Variously referred to as 'monuments' or 'follies', the terms are insufficient and inaccurate; each has its own unique character, architectural style, and purpose.
Three of the structures have each a single door and, curiously enough, the chronological order of their construction (in 1748, 1778 and 1788) has the three doors opening to the compass points of South, East and West, so providing us with the word SEW as a useful mnemonic. The fourth structure, The Needle's Eye (of unknown date), is a small pyramid pierced by a passageway leading not quite northwards. A strange legend about a statue in The Rockingham Mausoleum suggests this coincidence of SEW and The Needle's Eye may not be entirely fanciful.
The Follies
The Needle's Eye is on open ground easily accessed by way of the footpath from the junction of Coaley Lane and Street Lane where there is parking for several cars.
Hoober Stand may be reached from Street Lane by a steep path but access is easier from Lea Brook Lane which runs to the north side. The building is open 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekend afternoons between Spring and August Bank Holidays (the weekends of the last Mondays in May and August), when car parking is provided. The entrance charge in 2000 was £1.50 but prices may rise.
Keppel's Column is in a field behind the bungalows in Admiral's Crest off Upper Wortley Road (A629) and accessible on foot or on horseback. Entrance to the column itself has long been barred for reasons of safety and in early 2001, an area of land at the column's base was also closed off.
The Rockingham Mausoleum is in private woodland off Cortworth Lane (B6091) and access is denied to the public for most of the year. It is open, with good car parking, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons between Spring and August Bank Holidays (the weekends of the last Mondays in May and August). The entrance charge in 2000 was £1.50 but prices may rise.
Access for the disabled is generally not good and next to impossible in the case of the Needle's Eye. Nothing much in the way of experience is lost by viewing Keppel's Column from the pavement in Admiral's Crest. The tracks to Hoober Stand and the Rockingham Mausoleum are uneven but wheelchair access should be possible when the monuments are open.
Wentworth
For further information on the Wentworth Follies and about the beautiful village of Wentworth, the Wentworth Village website is highly recommended.
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Ink Amera |
(C) David 6/9/2007 |
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