Wortley Hall is a stately home in the small South Yorkshire village of Wortley, located west of Barnsley. For more than five decades the hall has been chiefly associated with the British Labour movement. It is currently used by several trades unions and other organisations as a venue for residential training courses and other meetings, as well as for purely social gatherings.
The hall is also a licensed venue for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, and is open to day visitors who wish to explore its formal gardens and extensive grounds.
Brief history
Wortley Hall was built in the 18th century and was the seat of the Wharncliffe family until the Second World War. During the war the hall was used by the British Army, but after 1945 its structural condition deteriorated.
In 1950 a group of local trade union activists identified the hall as a possible educational and holiday centre, and established a co-operative which succeeded in purchasing the hall for those purposes. It was formally opened on 1951-05-05.
