The National Trust commissioned a multidisciplinary LUC team to deliver a spatial plan for Wentworth Castle Gardens.

The site is South Yorkshire’s only grade I Registered Park and Garden and is of national importance.

It is home to 26 listed buildings and monuments, so our historic environment team’s expertise was vital in understanding its rich history and assessing its unique heritage significance.

LUC’s spatial plan for Wentworth Castle Gardens will benefit the environment and improve the visitor experience.

It will help to improve access, enhance biodiversity through habitat creation and management, and support sustainability through promoting active travel.

Understanding the site’s heritage significance was a vital part of the spatial plan and ensured the protection and enhancement of Wentworth’s many heritage assets.

The formal gardens and parkland were first set out by Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford, in the early 18th century. They were designed on a grand scale to rival any country-house estate in the country, particularly that of his cousin at nearby Wentworth Woodhouse.

The second earl introduced more naturalistic planting in the picturesque style, reflecting changing fashions and an increased interest in natural science. Sadly, by the late 20th century much of the parkland was lost to opencast mining and the gardens were in disrepair.

Restoration began in the early 2000s under the Wentworth Castle Gardens Trust but faltered in 2017 when they were forced to close due to a lack of funds. In 2019 the National Trust and Barnsley Council took over the estate and began a programme of conservation. The Spatial Plan is part of this process, setting out a vision for the future and long-term objectives for improvement.

Our study set out the exceptional heritage significance of the parkland and gardens, both in their own right and as part of the setting of the grade I listed house.

The design of the gardens embodied key themes of loyalty, political allegiance, status, lineage, and legitimacy in an engaging story that will bring the landscape to life for visitors.

Our analysis of surviving features and archaeological potential also highlighted opportunities for enhancement and ensured heritage conservation remained central to future proposals.