JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM COUNCIL, NATIONAL TRUST AND THE NORTHERN COLLEGE

ISSUED UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL: Friday 21 September, 00.01 Photo opportunity: See note to editors for details at end of release

New partnership set to secure the future of Wentworth Castle Gardens in South

The future of one of the country’s greatest 18th century landscapes looks secure following discussions between the National Trust, Barnsley Council and The Northern College. The three organisations are working together in order to secure the future of Wentworth Castle Gardens with a view to it reopening in summer 2019.

Discussions have been ongoing between all three organisations since the site closed in April 2017. The reopening would see the gardens and parkland – the only grade 1 listed park and garden in – complement the cultural offer of museums and attractions in the region, and the National Trust intends to place the needs of the local community at the heart of the offer through a programme of events, activities, volunteering and employment.

Wentworth Castle Gardens was the home of Thomas Wentworth, whose ambitions for the site were brought to life in the 1740s. After falling into disrepair it underwent significant investment and was opened to the public in 2007 by the Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and others.

Subject to legal agreements being finalised, the National Trust plans to enter into a 25 year lease that will see them bring their wealth of experience in managing and conserving historic places. Already in the region, the charity looks after the World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Nostell, Hardwick Hall and Clumber Park.

Working collaboratively as plans develop, the National Trust, Barnsley Council and The Northern College will be liaising with the local community and there’ll be lots of opportunities to use the site, discover new ways to enjoy Wentworth Castle Gardens again and get involved.

Joanna Royle, assistant director for the National Trust in the north, says “Wentworth Castle Gardens is such an important and beautiful place, and it is a vital green space for local communities. We’re looking forward to building on the hard work of Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust at the site, whilst sharing the rich heritage and stories of the gardens and its creators. But above all, we want to ensure that everyone visiting next year will be made very welcome and once again be able to enjoy this as a place to explore, walk, relax, play and spend time together outdoors.

“We are delighted to be working together with Barnsley Council, The Northern College, and the local community to help safeguard it.”

Cllr Sir Steve Houghton CBE, leader of Barnsley Council, says: “I’m really pleased to announce our partnership with the National Trust and The Northern College that will see Wentworth Castle Gardens reopen to the public.

“It has always been our ambition to secure a sustainable future for this magnificent estate and our partnership with the National Trust does just that.

“This is a great investment for Barnsley, boosting our visitor economy and bringing new jobs into the borough, I look forward to seeing people from all over the country visit Barnsley and Wentworth Castle Gardens.”

Diana Terris, Barnsley Council’s chief executive, added “Anyone who has ever visited Wentworth Castle Gardens can’t deny how stunning the grounds are. We’re excited to be partnering with the National Trust and look forward to reopening the grounds to visitors in due course.

“We’ll work closely with the National Trust, through our award winning Barnsley Museums service, to get our local communities involved in development of the site.

“A lot of work has happened over the last 18 months to get us to this point. I would like to thank the staff and volunteers who have maintained the gardens in the last 18 months whilst we’ve been working to secure a future for the site.”

Yultan Mellor, principal and chief executive of The Northern College says “The College is delighted that the future of the gardens is now more secure. We look forward to working in partnership with the National Trust to maximise the benefits the wonderful grounds surrounding the college offer. We look forward to collaborating on educational and community projects to engage our students as well as volunteers and visitors to the site.”

John Edwards, Chair of the Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Gardens Trust, said: “I am thrilled that the belief and hard work of the staff, the Garden’s many volunteers and my fellow trustees has come to this marvellous result. It has taken 10 years to bring this treasure back to life and all who have helped deserve praise and thanks.

“We are so proud that this premier contribution to Barnsley’s rich heritage looks to be secured for everyone, both near and far, to enjoy.”

All partners are keen to reopen the site as soon as possible, and in the meantime, work will be carried out by the National Trust to prepare the visitor facilities, including a new catering and retail offer alongside an improved car park ahead of opening. Recruitment of staff and volunteers will also begin, with several core roles within the staff team opening to applicants from today.

For more information and updates, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire

Ends

For further press information and images please contact:

National Trust Gemma Gibb on 07917 210 912 [email protected] or Helen Clarke on 07901 504877 [email protected]

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Katie Rogers, on 07525 235 389 [email protected]

The Northern College Sarah Taylor on 01226 776000 [email protected]

Notes to editors:

Press opportunity: Friday 21 September at Wentworth Castle Gardens, 12 -2.30pm. Please use The Northern College entrance and main car park: Northern College, Wentworth Castle, Stainborough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 3ET.

On arrival come to The Northern College’s reception to book in as a visitor and for parking permit.

Interviews available with spokespeople from National Trust, Barnsley Council and The Northern College at Wentworth Castle Gardens. Please confirm your attendance to Gemma Gibb on 07917 210 912 or email [email protected]

Contact on the day: Helen Clarke, 07901 504877 or Katie Rogers, 07525 235 389.

Images for immediate use Images of Wentworth Castle Gardens are available to download at high resolution via Dropbox All images are captioned and credited.

About Wentworth Castle Gardens Wentworth Castle Gardens (formerly known as Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park) was established in 1708 by Thomas Wentworth. Thomas was disinherited from the prestigious family estate of . He did not take this lightly, creating a phenomenal new landscape and house with a point to prove.

An evocative, interconnecting mix of 63 acres of gardens comprised of different landscapes features 16 listed structures. Some of the earliest monuments and in the country, they include the fairy-tale like “ancient ruins” of Stainborough Castle and remarkable Lady Mary Wortley Montague monument with its large bronze disc which shines like a beacon in the sunlight. They were purposely built to provide a highly visible show, and source of annoyance, to the rivals who had inherited Wentworth Woodhouse seven miles away.

Unusually for the time, these structures were dedicated to the monumental achievements of women including Minerva, the goddess of knowledge and the Lady Mary Wortley Montague monument who actively challenged unjust social attitudes towards Muslim women and introduced the smallpox vaccination.

The site was bought by Barnsley Corporation in 1948 after the estate fell into disrepair, but more recently, it opened to the public in May 2007 after the Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust took over the site. The Trust secured considerable external funding from various sources including £16m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the gift of the Parkland from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) for Phase 1 and a further £2,550k from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), together with around £400k from other sources for subsequent phases. This enabled the Trust to deliver impressive conservation improvements on the site.

Sadly, after 10 years of operation the gardens closed in 2017 due to demand on an unsustainable amount of public funding in the current economic climate. About National Trust The National Trust is a conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people who saw the importance of our nation’s heritage and open spaces, and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy. More than 120 years later, these values are still at the heart of everything the charity does.

Entirely independent of Government, the National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 780 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

More than 26 million people visit every year, and together with 5.2 million members and over 61,000 volunteers, they help to support the charity in its work to care for special places for ever, for everyone.

For more information go to: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/yorkshire Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationaltrustyorkshire

About Barnsley Council Barnsley Council is an award-winning council serving around 227,000 people in South Yorkshire. Situated to the east of the Pennines, Barnsley is a borough of contrasts, consisting of 10 towns and 23 villages. From the Pennine uplands, it extends eastwards over a varied landscape of wooded valleys, rolling farmland and dispersed towns and villages of the former Yorkshire coalfield.

Much of it is rural and semi-rural in character. Its population of 227,000 is spread over 320 square kilometres (127 square miles), with Penistone in the west, 10 kilometres (6 miles) from Barnsley town centre and 22 kilometres (14 miles) from Goldthorpe in the east.

Two large cities are within easy travelling distance by road and rail; Leeds 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the north and Sheffield 27 kilometres (17 miles) to the south, reflecting Barnsley’s position within two city regions.

Geographically, the borough divides into three distinct areas:

▪ Lying mainly to the west of the M1 motorway is the lightly populated, attractive hilly country centred on the market town of Penistone and two former coal mining villages, Dodworth and Darton, which cover half of the total borough. A relatively affluent area, pockets of disadvantage are nevertheless scattered throughout ▪ In the centre lies the urban core of Barnsley. Long famous for its market, Barnsley town centre is the borough’s main shopping, administrative, commercial and entertainment centre. This is exemplified by recent developments such as the Digital Media Centre, the Core, Gateway Plaza and the Civic. Projects such as Marketplace Barnsley will continue to transform the skyline over the next few years ▪ Dispersed towns and villages, separated by open land, surround the urban core to the north, south and east Barnsley has a lot to offer everyone who lives and works here. Barnsley has a vibrant town centre, with a cosmopolitan mix of cafés, theatres, museums, art galleries and hotels.

Barnsley’s sports and leisure facilities are also superb. There is also the town's renowned 700-year-old market and plenty of high street stores for shoppers.

For further information see Visit-Barnsley

About The Northern College The Northern College is a residential college in South Yorkshire and is dedicated to the education and training of men and women who are without formal qualifications and are seeking to return to learning. It also offers training for those who are active in community and voluntary groups as well as in trade unions. It has a national reputation for excellence and has been judged Outstanding by OfSTED.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery and #HLFsupported.