Page 236 - WDT Magazine Egypt

Britain’s Largest & Smallest Houses

By Sharon Whitley Larsen

he first time I saw Wentworth Yet unlike the tourist draws of private-
TWoodhouse in South Yorkshire, ly owned Chatsworth House and Blen-
England, I couldn't believe its massive heim Palace — even of Highclere Castle,
size. It's an enormous home seemingly where the popular PBS series "Downton
in the middle of nowhere, encompassed Abbey" was filmed — Wentworth, which
by acres of vivid green parkland. barely escaped being bombed during
With a room for every day of the World War II, is relatively unknown.
year and 1,000 windows, its east front, "Few have heard its name and fewer
at 600 feet, is twice as wide as that still have actually seen it," noted Cath-
of Buckingham Palace. At 250,000 erine Bailey. She's the author of Black
square feet, with five miles of passage- Diamonds, a fascinating book that
ways, it's the largest private residence chronicles Wentworth's history and the
in Britain, if not Europe. In past decades, colorful, secretive Fitzwilliam dynasty. "It
overnight guests (which could have is England's forgotten palace."
included royal family members since This massive 18th century Georgian
some stayed here) were known to sprin- mansion was built over some two
kle designated colored confetti from decades, starting in 1724, for Thomas
their bedrooms to the dining room in Watson-Wentworth, first Marquess of
order to find their way back after dinner! Rockingham. On one side of the prop-
Located six miles north of Sheffield erty is a public footpath through Went-
near Rotherham and officially named worth Park, where today villagers walk
Wentworth Woodhouse, it was once the their dogs or go on strolls, rain or shine.
inherited seat of the Earls Fitzwilliam. Nearby is a popular garden center
Over some 250 years it had a history of located on the grounds of Wentworth's
family fights, estrangements, greed and former kitchen, Italian and Japanese
infidelities. However, the ultra-wealthy, gardens.
powerful Fitzwilliams — land-owning The massive mansion employed
coal-mining barons — were respected some 1,000 in 1841--including a rat
by villagers for their treatment of the catcher and a "state bed maker."
coal miners they employed and for Today townsfolk and tourists can
promoting safety measures at the large browse through the historic restored
mine they owned in this once-thriving gardens and stop for a cuppa and a bite
coal-mining area. to eat. But for many years Wentworth's

236 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018