Brodsworth Hall and Gardens - 30th April 2014

On route to Skipton for a short mini-break we stopped off at Brodsworth Hall just outside Doncaster. The former home of some fat cat who got rich on the blood and sweat of hard working labourers down the mines. No not true, apparently the family made its money initially in Banking, can't do that now, but moved into mining in the early 1900's.

The family that built and lived in the Hall have all died out, the last couple of generations appeared to have difficult producing prodigy. The last couple to live there (Charles and Sylvia Grant-Dalton) were married during the 1914-18 war and had one daughter who had no desire to takeover the hall, her  mother lived in this huge house and slowly closed it down room by room as she got older and the staff dwindled from 14 to 2 before she departed this world in 1988.

Prior to this event the hall had been handed over to English Hertiage by her Daughter to look after and they now present the property as it was on Sylvia's death. Incidentally the daughter Pamela died in 1994 aged 74.

Unlike a lot of these buildings you have quite a lot of access, as most of the rooms are open, however to preserve the integrity of the contents, furniture painting etc the lighting is subdued and the curtains / blinds drawn casting a dim light, but this only enhances the sadness of a grand house fallen on hard times. Make no mistake this must have been a grand place at one time, the decorations and furnishing are grand, the chandeliers in the drawing room being a fine example, just don't ask Dell Boy and Rodney round!

I wish I had followed the floor plan when touring the house as I go little disorientated especially having gone up stairs and then down to find I was in the kitchen which was next door to the billiard hall. In fact I had to go back into the house to reorientate myself.

The Drawing Ro

The Masters Room

Upstairs you had access to various bedrooms most of which had their own bathrooms, huge baths, sinks and loos all with marvellous views across the gardens.

Talking of the Gardens, these have been renovated to almost former glories and we had a most enjoyable walk around them, where the spring flowers looked lovely. The end of the garden is built into a former quarry and contains a rockery, summer house, pet cemetery and Target House, what you and me would called a grand garden shed that once boasted a fire place.

We can't leave the house without mentioning the Servants. There's an entire block of the Hall just for servant type things - bedrooms, kitchens, pantries, The Butler's Pantry, Housekeepers room etc. 

The vast Eagle Range

The kitchen is particularly impressive with all mode cons, for the Victorian age, you also have access to the servants sleeping quarters, these were large rooms with fire places and normally shared by two servants. We always say what a hard life the servants had, I've come to conclusion that it was not that bad, better than working down a mine!  You had living accommodation, meals and the hours may been long but the work, was it really that hard compared to a working mother today?

The Lathe Room, used to store old stuff

And on that point we will leave Brodsworth Hall