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Brodsworth Hall & Gardens

Brodsworth Hall is a restored Victorian mansion off Junction 37 of the A1 – out in the wilds of Doncaster. It is run by English Heritage who have restored the house and gardens andretained the atmosphere of faded grandeur. Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson inherited an existing hall dating from the mid-18th century but brought in the Italian architect, Chevalier Casentini to rebuild Brodsworth Hall as an up-to-date family home, full of typical Victorian flamboyance. The present hall was built 1861/1863 and it remains very much as it was in Victorian times. The gardens are pleasant but not as impressive as many we've visited.

In 2005 I understand that following a Heritage Lottery grant the gardens have been restored to their 1860s heyday so they might impress me a bit more now. Also new for 2005 are Goodwood Cup displays reflecting the family's interest in horse racing and a Maids and Mistresses exhibition and trail.

The Pedant and I visited here not long after it had re-opened with a party from the local branch of the Institute of Management: an event described as a tour of the house followed by supper. Well we toured the house and it got to 8 o'clock of the evening and stomachs were grumbling most audibly. So we toured the house some more, and it got to nine and then nine thirty. Then the tour guides uttered the magic words "It's this way to the kitchens" and they nearly got trampled in the stampede. We arrived in the kitchens salivating at the thought of sausage rolls, cold quiche and a glass of something red or white.

Guess what? The way to the kitchens was the way OUT. There was no supper, not even a bit of cheese and pineapple on a stick. The Institute of Management organiser had forgotten to organise it!

Review

We re-visited Brodsworth in June 2009 as we had some two for one tickets. The gardens are excellent and seem to get many repeat visitors which means that the English Heritage annual cost could be pretty reasonable. The house itself is large but not so vast you could get yourself lost in it. In fact at a rough guess I'd say that the servant's quarters and the service areas including the various kitchens, cellars etc are probably bigger than the house. It does have the feel of a family home albeit a large one and English Heritage have obviously taken pains to keep it that way. There are volunteers primed with a lot of information about the house and the family in each of the rooms. They have obviously been told to get out there and communicate with the visitors because most of them were not backward in coming forward. It get a bit wearing room after room.

Pleasant but expensive café with plenty of outside seating. Take your glasses and do a bit of bird-watching. In the time it took up to drink a cup of tea there were a dozen different species came down to see what they could scrounge and some of them weren't backward in coming forward either.

Photographs

Information

Visit English Heritage and search for the up-to-date opening times and prices.
Gardens, tea-rooms, gift shop, exhibition, free parking, toilets in separate block outside the house. No dogs allowed.

Address:- Brodsworth Hall, Brodsworth, Doncaster Tel. 01302 724969. Website www.english-heritage.org.uk.

Brodsworth Church

There is a very pretty church only a few minutes walk from the house. I understand that it contains Thellusson family monuments.

Wisely it is not open to the public and I could not see a keyholder telephone number.

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