Out & About in the Borough of Rotherham
Boston Castle
Catcliffe Glass Kiln
Keppel's Column & Field
Roche Abbey
Thomas Rotherham College
Waterloo Pottery Kiln
There are many interesting places in the Borough of Rotherham worth a visit but some of them will be very short visits indeed as there is not a great deal to see or do when you get there.
Boston Castle is a hunting lodge dating from 1775. The lodge and the accompanying buildings are boarded up and nothing as yet is being done with them. One rosette for still being there.
Catcliffe Glass Kiln is a kiln for the firing of glass built in 1740. Stuck in the middle of some pensioners' bungalows an not even a sign up last time I visited. One rosette for still being there.
Keppel's Column is a folly built in 1778. It is strapped up in a truss as it would otherwise fall apart. One rosette for still being there. The adjoining Keppel's Field is a Local Nature Reserve.
As far as I am concerned I have awarded the full four rosettes to Roche Abbey, the remains of a 12th Century Cistercian Abbey in a quiet valley not far from Maltby. 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.
The original building that is now the Thomas Rotherham College was erected as a training college for Congregational (Independent) Ministers and dates from 1876. You can only look at the outside as it is a working college and as far as I know does not have open days except for potential students, which is a pity because it is an interesting building.
These villages are also worth a visit:–
The village of Laughton-en-le-Morthen has some very nice old property. As far as I know none of these are open to view, except the church from time to time, so you can only look at them. To me Laughton does nor have what I can only describe as the villagey feel you get in Wentworth.
The village of Wentworth also gets four rosettes. 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.