Burntwood Hall

Originally a modest farmhouse which was bought around 1700 by William Marsden Esq, a highly influential Barnsley attorney and Steward to the 1st Duke of Leeds. He had the house altered to be more suitable for the residence of a gentleman. William Marsden died in 1718 apparently worth £30,000 he left his estates to be divided in certain proportions amongst his children. His son William, succeeded him as attorney of Barnsley and Royal Surveyor of the Woods north of the River Trent to King George III. He too, was a man of great influence, and was a good deal mixed up in the affairs of the town and district. His Grandson, Captain Francis Marsden – West Yorkshire Militia/5th Regiment of Foot…

The hall is a mixture of classical and Gothic revival architecture and on the south side there is a porch supported by doric columns The grounds originally incorporated both an entrance lodge on the south entrance (though this became neglected and was later demolished) and a stable block (now converted and used as staff accommodation). In 2003 some of the garden ornaments, including the sundial were stolen. It has the only 'secret' tunnel in the area that can be authenticated, running for 30 yd under the road to the kitchen gardens. West Haigh Wood and Howell Wood (now a country park) were landscaped as the grounds of the hall and as a game reserve, as was the open space of the old…