Rotherham The Unofficial Website An unofficial website about the Town and Borough of Rotherham

In & Around Rotherham

In all honesty it has to be said that neither the town nor the borough of Rotherham contains that many places of interest to the tourist that can actually be visited. There are grandiose mansions, substantial country homes and many manor houses within the borough of Rotherham but none of these are open to the public.

Antiquities

The remains of Roche Abbey, a Cistercian house founded in 1147 and dedicated to St Mary are found in a peaceful, secluded valley near the town of Maltby in the borough of Rotherham. This was closed down after 1538 and fell into ruin, with businessmen and locals alike plundering its assets. Later the abbey grounds were landscaped to form part of the gardens of Sandbeck Park. We are probably fortunate that any of it survived at all. It is in the hands of English Heritage. It is a tranquil and lovely place to visit but not for those who like visitors' centres, interactive experiences and tea rooms.

Castles

There never was a castle in Rotherham, nor town walls, nor anything defensible, so really I'm cheating here. Boston Castle on the hillside overlooking the valleys of the Rivers Don and Rother is a hunting lodge and a small one at that. After many years of being derelict in 2010 money has been raised to restore the old place. There were motte and bailey castles at Kimberworth and Laughton-en-le-Morthen but the remains are scant.

Churches

Rotherham Minster is a magnificent church, previously called the parish church of All Saints. There has been a church on this site since late Anglo-Saxon times and there are still Saxon parts of the church, though given later re-buildings and developments you will have to look very closely to find most of them. The present church is mostly a 15th Century building which was massively restored in the late 19th Century. Nicolas Pevsner, the art historian and scholar, described it as "...One of the finest examples of Medieval Perpendicular architecture in the country..." The Minster is open on a regular daily basis, and this is worth the visit.

The Chapel of Our Lady on Rotherham Bridge is a rare survivor of a chantry chapel and is open occasionally.

The Methodist church built by the Walker family at Masbrough is still standing though it is a carpet and furniture warehouse these days. In my opinion it is a very ugly building outside and th inside has been comprehensively asset-stripped. You can look around the outside of the Walker Mausoleum next door but the truth is you could well miss it if you don't know what you are looking for - I did. the building is in a shocking state.

There are some superb churches within the borough with many of the towns and villages possessing buildings of interest of worth. Where I have found out any information I have written details in the appropriate pages in Rotherham Villages.

Follies

Visible from many parts of northern Rotherham is Keppel's Column, an 18th Century folly built for the second Marquis of Rockingham. It is in sad state of disrepair: strapped up in a truss as it would otherwise fall apart. There are various other follies on the Wentworth estates which you can visit at Wentworth and the village itself is still very pretty. It has been owned largely by the Fitzwilliam family for generations and has little intrusive modern development. Unfortunately the grand Palladian mansion, Wentworth Woodhouse, is not open to the public but you can stroll by and look at the stables and the frontage.

Industrial

For a town with such a long and important industrial past there is very little of it left to see let alone visit in or around Rotherham. Catcliffe Glass Kiln and Waterloo Pottery Kilnare two of them but these are small and isolated remains of much larger enterprises. The steel works at Templeborough have been incorporated into the Magna Science and Adventure Centre so at least there all is not lost.

Museums and Art Galleries

The Museums and Art Galleries in Rotherham can visited at Culture in Rotherham.

Tourist Attractions

As Rotherham is not a touristy town there are not many tourist attractions. You can visit them here.

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