Week Ahead: Wentworth Woodhouse lecture and Emma Hardy MP's flooding bill

Wondrous Wentworth

Just a few years ago, Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire was a shadow of its former glory.

The stately home has come a long way since then, and now those who are keen to hear about its transformation can attend the first lecture outlining the “story so far” between 7pm and 9pm on Thursday, either online or in person.

Built for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham from 1725, it has the longest façade of any country house in England.

It was taken over by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust in 2017 with just six staff and one of their most crucial tasks had been to mop up of rainwater falling through holes in the roof.

Donald Insall Associates have been conservation architects to the Trust since they took ownership and Dorian Proudfoot RIBA AABC will provide a three-part mini-series of talks to share the story of the major repair projects carried out to the mansion, the exciting proposals to save the Camellia House in the Gardens and the future plans to restore the Stables and Riding School.

After £5.5m in specialist roof repairs, preservation trust members in October described the renovations as a mighty “triumph”, with artisan markers painstakingly restored.

The majority of the Grade One-listed mansion’s vast Palladian-style East Front has now been declared water-tight, following two years of urgent repairs which were described as a “colossal” undertaking.

Ancient guttering and drainpipes have been replaced or repaired, alongside artisan masons’ stonework first crafted 250 years ago, with emergency repairs carried out to the house’s endangered stables and riding school.

Both phases of repairs were funded under a £7.6m Treasury grant under former Chancellor Phillip Hammond, while in March further repairs began on the North Pavilion, part funded by an £811,000 lifeline grant through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Tickets for the event are £20 or £12 for the online option and can be ordered at the Wentworth Woodhouse website.

Flooding focus

A Yorkshire MP will continue to campaign for flooding measures after the region has suffered repeated deluges in recent years. Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy’s proposals in the Flooding (Prevention and Insurance) Bill are scheduled to get their Second Reading in Parliament on Friday.

Among various proposals, the bill aims to set national minimum requirements for flood protection measures in new build public and private properties enforced by local planning authorities, and to place reporting requirements on local and national government.

The Humber has the second largest area of floodplain in the UK, and Hull tops the list of local authorities with the largest number of homes classified as at high risk of flooding, at nearly 20,000 properties, according to information published by the Labour MP. A Second Reading normally presents the first opportunity for a Bill to be debated and when its overall principles considered. If the Bill passes Second Reading it moves on to the Committee Stage.

Virus toll

A grim anniversary falls on Thursday as it will be year since the number of deaths involving coronavirus in the UK reached 100,000, according to PA news agency analysis of official data.

The Government’s own dashboard reached 100,000 on January 26, however.

It comes after Ministers have chosen to carry on with so-called ‘Plan B’ restrictions as the Omicron variant continues to spread and health experts warn of pressures facing the NHS this winter.