Cannon Hall
Park
Cannon Hall is a
country house museum located between the villages of Cawthorne and High Hoyland
north of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Originally the home of the Spencer
and later the Spencer-Stanhope family, it now houses collections of fine
furniture, paintings, ceramics and glassware. It also houses the Regimental
Museum of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and the Light Dragoons. Although there was a house on the site when the Domesday
Survey of 1086 was conducted, Cannon Hall picked up its current name from the
13th-century inhabitant Gilbert Canun. By the late 14th century Cannon Hall was
in the ownership of the Bosville family of Ardsley, now a suburb in south-east
of Barnsley. It was during this period that the most violent event in Cannon
Hall's history took place. The Bosvilles had let the Hall out to a family (whose
name has been lost), the daughter of whom was romantically involved with a man
named Lockwood. Lockwood had been involved in the murder of Sir John Eland, the
Sheriff of the County. The tenant, afraid of the position in which he could find
himself accommodating a fugitive, sent word to Bosville. Bosville's men arrived
at Cannon Hall, where the fugitive was slain in a cruel and violent manner. Cannon Hall's history settled down after this notably
unpleasant episode. In 1660 the estate was purchased by John Spencer, a Welsh
hay-rake maker. The Spencer family had arrived in Yorkshire from the
Montgomeryshire in the Welsh borders, a safer place than Wales for those with
Royalist sympathies such as those of the Spencers (John Spencer even managed to
get a pardon from Charles II himself when John was held in York prison on
manslaughter charges). The Spencer family quickly became active in the local
iron and coal industry, eventually building up a huge empire and funding the
rebuilding of Cannon Hall. The core of the present
Cannon Hall was built at the opening of the 18th century for John Spencer,
possibly by John Etty of York, more surely with interior joinery by William
Thornton, another well-known local craftsman. It was enlarged with the addition
of wings in 1764–67 by the premier mid-Georgian architect working in Yorkshire,
John Carr. Subsequently the wings were heightened, giving the rather
high-blocked mass seen today. The last member of the family, Elizabeth, sold the
house to Barnsley Council in 1951. Cannon Hall Museum opened to the public in
1957. The surrounding parkland was landscaped in the
18th century by Richard Woods of Chertsey, and features acres of parkland,
lakes, waterfalls, follies and vistas. The Victorian pleasure grounds are
located close to the Georgian walled garden, which houses an impressive
collection of pear trees, among other plants. Cannon Hall Museum, park and
gardens is owned and operated by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The Hall has a varied and exciting programme of
events, including the annual Regency Ball, a Christmas Fair each December and
guided tours, workshops and children's activities throughout the
year
Cawthorne
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S75 4AT
Opening Times |
(2009 times) April - October:
Saturday to Wednesday 11.00am - 5.00pm; Saturday and Sunday 12 noon - 5.00pm
Last Admissions 4.15pm.
November, December and March:
Sundays only 11.00am - 4.00pm.
Last Admissions 3.15pm. |
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Cannon Hall
Room inside Cannon Hall
Chapel Ruins in the Garden
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