Vital work continues to keep historic South Yorkshire stately home safe

Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed architectural masterpiece which was forced to halt its tours and events and close to visitors.

The Preservation Trust took over the house in 2017 and is now managing a major project to restore the house and re-open it to the public.

Heritage construction workers can still be seen carrying out vital tasks to ensure the mansion remains in good condition.

A spokesman said: “Halting work adds expense. Some £30,000 is needed every month for costs including hire of scaffold and contractor facilities, security systems, health and safety measures and insurance.

“Roof slates from the Make Your Mark in History campaign, which raised over £45,000 and enabled supporters to have slates engraved with personal messages, are now being placed over the East Front portico.”

Sarah McLeod, CEO of WWPT, said: “Keeping people safe is our absolute priority right now.

“Wentworth Woodhouse will re-open in style as soon as the COVID-19 crisis is over and we want everyone back in force - all our staff, volunteers and loyal supporters.

“In the meantime, a very carefully-managed roof work programme is keeping the building safe,” said Dame Julie Kenny CBE, founder and chair of the Preservation Trust.

A representative for Woodhead Group, which is carrying out Phase 2 of the Trust’s Capital Works, said: “Workers on the roof are following government guidelines to the letter.

“We have implemented daily health-screening questionnaires, created extra hand-washing and cleaning facilities and staggered break times to ensure we are social distancing.

“We are fortunate to have a vast site and operatives can work well away from each other.

“We are working really closely with our supply chain partners and subcontractors to continue as normally as possible while protecting the safety of everyone.”

Wentworth Woodhouse is one of the largest houses in Europe and was built between 1725 and 1750.

Visit www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk