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    I  n  t  e  r  a  c  t  i  v  e    M  a  p

A = Stainborough Castle	B = Queen Anne Obelisk
C= The Temple	D = Serpentine Bridge
E = Sun Monument	F = Duke of Argyl Mon
G = Wentworth House	H = Steeple Lodge
I = Colonnaded Barn	J = Corinthian Temple

There are two folly groups in this part of the County.
The above map shows the western one.

The background behind the rivalry that existed between the two is explained here ..................  

Eastern folly group interactive map here ..............  

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Birdwell Obelisk
Not shown on map above.
Co-Ords: 434610 400660
Largest of the three obelisks mentioned on this page, and situated outside of the estate perimeter to the south. It can be found at a road junction with the A61. It is in reality a glorified 18th century signpost, as the inscription tells the reader the distance to Wentworth Castle is 3 Miles. It was erected in 1775.

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A
Stainborough Fort          (Grade 2* listed)
Co-Ords: 431580 403045
Situated to the west of the house and built on the edge of an ancient Iron Age hill fort, its location at over 600 feet puts it at the highest point of the estate. It was designed in the style of the archetypal castle, square with a turret at each corner and with a banqueting room in the middle. The outside perimeter wall measuring in excess of 200 yards. The castle was started in 1727 and took 7 seven years to complete, so building work probably only took place in the summer months. Only two adjacent towers remain standing still, the other two having collapsed in 1962.

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B
Queen Anne Obelisk          (Grade 2 listed)
Co-Ords: 433190 402920
Rather squat obelisk on a small pedestal. A largely indecipherable inscription dates it to 1734 - 20 years after Queen Anne's death. It was Anne who granted Thomas Wentworth his new peerage, after he had gone to great lengths to gain her favour.
It is situated in a field some 250 yards into the estate from the lodge house on Rockley Road.

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C
The Temple          (Grade 2* listed)
Co-Ords: 432790 402720
Also called 'The Rotunda' this is a rather sad looking 45 foot diameter (approx) Ionic temple started in 1739. This was the year of Thomas Wentworth's death, causing the temple to be finished 3 years later by his son William. It is said to have been based on the Temple of Hercules located at Tivoli, which is 20 miles to the east of Rome.

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D
Serpentine Bridge          (Grade 2 listed)
Co-Ords: 432400 403530
This was built in 1758 to span a river that had been diverted to run through the grounds to a dam. The bridge was positioned on the route of the new driveway, which had been moved to create a favourable first impression as you approached the house.

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E
Sun Monument          (Grade 2 listed)
Co-Ords: 431710 402985
An obelisk erected in 1744 and somewhat shorter and thinner than the Queen Anne obelisk mentioned above. It originally had a bronze disc on the top representing the sun, but this is no longer in place. The original inscription was in poor condition so a later sandstone one can also be found.
The inscription states the obelisk is dedicated to the memory of the Right Hon. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who as wife to our Ambassador in Turkey in 1720, brought back from there the idea of small pox inoculation. Lady Mary's brother had died from the disease, and she herself had caught it, and had suffered from its after effects of scarring.
Later in 1759 Edward Jenner manufactured the first serum, and incorrectly took all the credit for the whole concept of inoculation.
Lady Mary was the rarest of 18th century ladies, not only was she a very independent women for her time, but also a poet and author. Her book 'Turkish Embassy Letters' tells of her Turkish travels, and is still available today.
Lady Mary eventually succumbed to cancer and died in 1762 at the respectable age, for that time, of 73 years.

The name Small Pox comes from the fact that it produced a smaller chancre (sore or ulcer) than the Great Pox (Syphilis).

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F
Duke of Argyll Monument          (Grade 2* listed)
Co-Ords: 432250 402425
A tall Corinthian column with a statue of Minerva on the top. The Duke was the Earl's father-in-law, and the inscription tells us it was erected:
To the memory of his grace John Duke of Argyll and Greenwich, Who died October 4th 1743. It is then dated October 1744.
Minerva was the Roman goddess of Wisdom, whom the Greeks called Athena. Greek tradition states she was the favourite daughter of Zeus, and is alleged to have sprung from Zeus's head fully grown and dressed in a suit of armour. Obviously procreation is thankfully more enjoyable for us mere mortals.

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G
Wentworth House          (Grade 1 listed)
Co-Ords: 432000 403200
Undoubtedly the greatest of the 26 listed structures in the 500 acre estate. Wentworth Castle itself is grade I listed, and is now used by the Northern College for Residential Adult Education. It also boasts of having the longest frontage of any house in the United Kingdom, another example of the constant battle of 'one upmanship' that existed between the two estates.

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H
Steeple Lodge
Co-Ords: 431892 403585
Photograph and text here.

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I
Colonnaded Barn          (Grade 2* listed)
Co-Ords: 431870 403480
Open colonnaded barn built in 1775, and close to Steeple Lodge.
It was restored in the 1980's, with the original design being based on barns seen around Tuscany. It consists of in excess of 20 columns arranged around the edge of a pitched roof, with several larger columns supporting the centre.

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J
Corinthian Temple          (Grade 2 listed)
Co-Ords: 431995 403080
Despite the rather grand name this is really just a summer house hence its close proximity to the main house. It was erected in 1766 in the style of a small Corinthian temple and is relatively small in size with little depth to it, the portico having just 4 columns.
Garden buildings like this were very much in fashion at the time, and many estates had similar styled structures.



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