No pane, no gain... plan to restore derelict Victorian glasshouse finally given all-clear

Planning approval has been granted for the £3.7m restoration project at Wentworth Castle Gardens, near Barnsley.

The work will involve both refurbishing the glasshouse, creating a new “interpretation gallery” in a former potting shed and building an education room.

Heritage director Vicky Martin said that there are also plans to use the glasshouse, which was built in 1877 for Frederick William Thomas Vernon-Wentworth, for weddings.

“In a couple of years’ time it should be possible to get married in the conservatory”, she said.

“We’ll be able to have big events on the terrace as well.”

The ambitious scheme will be funded with a £2.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £1.2m of “match funding” from bodies including English Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund.

About £18,000 has also been generated through a fundraising project which asked people to sponsor a pane of glass in the restored conservatory.

Ms Martin said: “We’ve been working really hard over the last year to develop the plans.

“There’s a lot pending at the moment, but bits of the jigsaw are starting to come into place.

“Work could start by autumn at the earliest and it shouldn’t take more than 18 months to complete.”

Created in the 18th century by Thomas Wentworth, Wentworth Castle Gardens is made up of more than 500 acres of parkland.

The estate features 26 buildings, monuments and follies, all of which have been, and in some cases still are, the focus of a massive restoration scheme.

More than £17m has already been spent and one of the results has been the rediscovery of rare formal gardens. Among the completed restoration projects are Home Farm, the Sun Monument and the Rotunda.