Wentworth Castle Gardens

Royal Diplomat Thomas Wentworth was outraged when his home was inherited by his cousin. Determined to outdo his rival, Thomas purchased this 500 acre estate in 1706 and built a home and gardens. The gardens are laid out from the mansion up to the hilltop. At the top is a "castle", designed to impress even though it isn't real. It originally had four towers and a banquet hall. The views of the hills around the area definitely impress the present-day visitors!

On the grounds is a tall monument to Lady Mary Wortley Montague, who introduced the practice of smallpox inoculation to England in 1721. Smallpox killed 1 out of every 4 who contracted it. Lady Mary had lost friends and relatives including a brother to smallpox, and she herself had survived it but with scars. While in Turkey, she was pleased to find that smallpox inoculation was being done. She had her 5-year old son inoculated, making him the first English person to receive it. She promoted the practice in her writings. In 1796, Dr Edward Jenner developed the vaccine from the cowpox virus, which had much less risk.Read more