WENTWORTH CASTLE - THE FOUNTAIN

The following item has been included in this blog for two main reasons - firstly it may be of interest to readers - secondly by this means it is hoped to leave a trace of the items for discovery in future by interested parties.

Outside the front of Wentworth Castle - where a car park used to be - and where the formal gardens are now [2017] was a large ornamental fountain - this was in place when or shortly after the castle was first built - and at some time it was removed!

At various times the fountain has been the subject of controversy - in fact it was even said by some that fountain had never been built - and that it was only ever a drawing - this is a complete error. It was also said at one time that the 'reservoir' or 'tank' to supply the water for the fountain was too small to permit the fountain to operate for more than a few seconds - this also is incorrect - but a reason for believing it can easily be found - the answer is the presence of a small tank beneath the central stone stairs outside the east front - this small tank which at one time was thought to be the reservoir feeding the fountain - is accessed by a passage leading from the kitchens of the castle - inside or close to the tank is the valves and pipework that controlled the fountain.

At some time around the late 1970s or early 1980s - the 'college bar' of the Northern College was created - during its construction the 'digger' broke into a tunnel at the north end of the castle, which appeared to run towards the church - but it is the other end of the tunnel that is of interest! - it permitted entry to a cellar of the castle - later to become the actual college bar - and examination of that cellar shows it to be the 'original' water tank that fed the fountain - this is supported by at least one document which was a letter sent as part of correspondence between Lord Wentworth and his architect or builder - the letter describes the cellar as a tank and says it would fill to a depth of 4 foot 6 inches - from a spring located at the southern end of the cellar. This tank would be large enough to support use of the fountain for a much longer time than had until then been considered possible. It is now evident that the tank / cellar must have been made during the construction of the foundations of the east wing of the castle about 1709 - and that it was an integral part of the building from the very beginning.

A few of the many questions that this information gives rise to include - how has knowledge of the tank and its construction been 'lost' over the years, and are there other major matters which have become overlooked or forgotten, and why have the 'Wentworth Papers' in London not been searched for such things by now?

Do you have anything to contribute to the above?

The Editor