A £15,000 fundraising campaign to restore the clock and bells on Wentworth Woodhouse’s East Front reached its target thanks to a £10,000 donation remembering a much-loved son
Brinsworth lorry driver Lee Rollinson who passed away in 2021, is being remembered through this act of generosity by his 81-year-old mother Patricia..
Launched by Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust in February, the appeal aims to get the clock and bells on the mansion’s North Tower chiming again after remaining silent for over 60 years.
The campaign wasn’t due to close until March 29, but just two weeks in, the trust’s fundraising team receive a phone call from 81-year-old Patricia, pledging two thirds of the sum they needed.
“I heard about the Just In Time appeal and rang up straight away. I said: I want to help you in my son’s name,” she explained.
“I love history and have always known about Wentworth Woodhouse. I’ve never been inside the mansion, but I have lots of books about it and follow the stories about the work the Trust is doing in the papers and on TV.
“I knew Lee would be really happy with my decision and for me, it will feel like the clock bells are chiming for him.”
Lee, a father of three, discovered the house later in life and loved walking his dog in the gardens and through the estate.
He died suddenly at his home in Brinsworth in September 2021.
“I miss him very much, said Patricia, who lives in Dinnington with her adopted 46-year-old son, also named Lee, who has Down’s Syndrome.
“Giving the money has already given me a lot of happiness, knowing it’s gone to a great cause, and will also give me a place to go where I can feel close to Lee. When the clock and bells have been fixed, I plan to go to Wentworth Woodhouse regularly, sit and listen to the bells and think of him.”
The North Tower, which sits at one end of the mansion’s Palladian front, has two clock faces and a set of bells which rang out on the hour for over a century. They last chimed over 60 years ago when students of Lady Mabel College of Physical Education were in residence.
The tower itself underwent extensive restoration in 2021. Roof, stonework, cornices and guttering repairs transformed the structure and the two clock faces and the golden weather vane on the roof were restored by conservationists.
A Barnsley clock restorer worked unpaid to get the clock mechanisms going again, but the result was temporary and further work was prevented by a dangerously unsafe floor in the room housing the clock mechanism.
The Trust’s fundraising manager Carole Foster said: “We were amazed by Patricia’s incredibly generous donation and really touched to hear it was in memory of her son.
Patricia’s contribution was one of 223 received, many of which were given in memory of individuals with a connection to the house, including former Lady Mabel College students and donors from as far as Texas. Whether the donation was £10 or £10,000, the Trust is deeply thankful to every person who helped achieve their fundraising goal.”
In recognition of Patricia’s contributions, Lee’s initials will be inscribed on the iron chain being created as part of the Trust’s Forge A Link campaign, situated on the mansion’s East Front.
This initiative offers donors the opportunity to have their initials, or those of their loved ones, engraved on 1,800 handmade links of the chain. It’s noteworthy that the original chain, installed by Flitcroft, is believed to have been melted down during WW1 to produce ammunition.
Additionally, a grant of £2,000 from the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers will contribute towards the repairs of the clock and bell. Initially, attention will be given to the clock room floor and a beam beneath the mechanisms, ensuring a safe environment for specialists to work on the dial motion workings, install new weight lines for the pendulum, and reconnect the chiming hammers.
