WENTWORTH & ELSECAR
The Dame of Wentworth Woodhouse
Julie Kenny CBE, the inspirational self-made Rotherham businesswoman whose relentless five-year campaign saved Wentworth Woodhouse for the nation, has been made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The Most Excellent Order of
the British Empire rewards public service and contributions to the arts, sciences, charities and welfare organisations. As Dame Commander of the British Empire, Julie has received the second- highest honour in the land. As the chair of Wentworth
Woodhouse Preservation Trust,
Julie is its best-known unpaid volunteer. “I am amazed and humbled to
receive this honour,” said Julie, 61. “I was inspired by one of the
greatest houses in the UK and I did not achieve this alone; there were many people that helped me along the way and this award recognises our joint achievements.”
She described rescuing the
Come and visit us on a pre-booked house or garden tour and wonder at the size and scale of this magnificent stately home.
house from decline as one of the most inspiring, yet hardest, challenges of her life. “Many times I saw in people’s
eyes that they thought it could not be achieved. But my view is that nothing is impossible with time and energy and belief. And I passionately believed the house could become a beacon, its beauty drawing people from all of the world. I knew how proud that would make the people of Rotherham feel about their heritage again, and that jobs and skills could be created for young people.” said Julie. “But the fight tested everything
I had learned throughout my business life. It took hard work, stamina, focus and negotiation skills and above all the resolve to persevere and never to give up,
Last chance to ‘make your mark’
Time is running out for a once in a lifetime chance to ‘make your mark’ on Wentworth Woodhouse.
The Preservation Trust’s Make
Your Mark in History Appeal must draw to a close at the end of August, in time for major repairs to commence on the roof sitting over the magnificent state rooms. The appeal enables anyone to
sponsor a roof slate and have it inscribed with their own message before it goes onto the roof above the famous East Front, to remain there for centuries.
Hundreds of supporters have
already come forward, paying a suggested donation of £50 and raising over £24,000 for WWPT’s huge restoration task. Everyone leaving their
message on the roof is following a tradition carried out by craftsmen for more than 200 years whose hand-carved messages were discovered last year and inspired the appeal. Already, slates have been
sponsored by wedding couples, local families and businesses to commemorate anniversaries and in dedication to loved ones.
To find out more and make your pledge, please go to
www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk, contact the house on 01226 35116 or email
info@wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk.
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aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
even when the going got tough - and then extra tough.” Her determination enabled the
trust to purchase the mansion, its stables, riding school, camelia house and 83 acres in March 2017 for £7million following a campaign backed by SAVE British Heritage. When the trust finally moved in,
they were met with a critical state of decay at the house which was once grander than Chatsworth and hosted kings and queens. There were buildings riddled with asbestos, collapsed drains, endemic dry rot, leaking roofs and rotting timbers. With just one phone line, a
handful of committed staff and a single vacuum cleaner, it began the task of raising the phoenix from the ashes. Currently, the famed East Front,
arguably one of the longest in Europe, is undergoing a three- phase Capital Works Programme, carrying out vital repairs to protect its important heritage assets. With funding from the National
Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund, the trust now has 23 staff, over 100 volunteers and generates income from events, retail, catering, weddings, film and TV productions.
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