Hoober Stand

10 hours ago

3 min read

Hoober Stand – The Story Behind South Yorkshire's Unusual Monument

Standing high above the countryside near Wentworth, Hoober Stand is one of South Yorkshire's more unusual landmarks.

Its strange triangular shape makes it look like an extravagant Georgian folly, but Hoober Stand wasn't built simply to decorate the landscape. It was a monument to a major moment in British history – the defeat of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.

Nearly 280 years later, it still dominates the countryside around Wentworth.

Why Was Hoober Stand Built?

The story begins with the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, attempted to overthrow the Hanoverian monarchy and restore the Stuart family to the British throne.

The Jacobite army marched south from Scotland and reached Derby before eventually retreating. The rebellion ended with the Jacobites' decisive defeat at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.

Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham and owner of the enormous Wentworth estate, was firmly on the side of King George II.

Hoober Stand was subsequently built between 1747 and 1749 to commemorate the defeat of the Jacobite rebellion and as a tribute to George II.

This wasn't just a viewing tower. It was a very large and very visible political statement.

A Monument Designed to Be Seen

Hoober Stand was designed by architect Henry Flitcroft, who also played an important role in the development of nearby Wentworth Woodhouse.

Built from sandstone, the monument rises to approximately 30 metres.

Its design is particularly unusual. Rather than a conventional round or square tower, Hoober Stand has three massive sides with rounded corners, narrowing as they rise towards the top.

A small cupola sits above the structure, covering the top of the internal stone staircase, and the remains of three sundials survive at the upper level.

There's also an inscription on the monument dating from 1748. Its wording makes the purpose of Hoober Stand very clear, praising George II and describing Thomas Watson-Wentworth as his loyal subject.

There was no attempt to hide the politics behind it.

More Than Just a Folly

The position of Hoober Stand is just as important as the building itself.

The Wentworth estate wasn't simply a large house surrounded by some fields. Its owners deliberately shaped an enormous landscape of parkland, viewpoints, monuments and architectural features.

Hoober Stand occupied a prominent hilltop position where it could be seen from a considerable distance.

It worked in two directions.

From the tower, visitors could look across the surrounding countryside. But from elsewhere in the landscape, people could look towards Hoober Stand.

In effect, structures such as this also demonstrated the scale and wealth of the Wentworth estate.

The Wentworth Landscape

Hoober Stand wasn't alone.

The landscape around Wentworth Woodhouse contains a remarkable collection of monuments and follies, including Keppel's Column, the Rockingham Mausoleum, the Needle's Eye and several classical temples.

Views between these structures were part of the design of the estate.

That's something that's easy to miss if you visit each monument individually. Once you start exploring the countryside around Wentworth, you begin to realise they were all part of a much bigger landscape.

If you'd like to explore more of this part of Yorkshire on foot, have a look through The White Shire's South Yorkshire Walks.

Hoober Stand Today

Hoober Stand is now a Grade II* listed monument and remains one of the most recognisable landmarks around Wentworth.

What makes it particularly interesting is that you don't need to know its history to notice it.

Its shape alone makes you wonder what on earth it is doing there.

But once you know the story, it becomes much more than an odd tower on a hill. It connects this quiet part of South Yorkshire with the Jacobite rebellion, George II, the enormous wealth of the Wentworth estate and the political tensions of 18th-century Britain.

For more historic buildings, landmarks and interesting places we've discovered around the county, explore Yorkshire Attractions on The White Shire.

Walk to Hoober Stand

Lyn and I recently visited Hoober Stand while walking our 4.13-mile Hoober Stand Circular Walk.

The route is entirely on roads, with around 95% following very quiet country lanes, making it a particularly good option for winter or after prolonged wet weather when Yorkshire's field paths are muddy.

Hoober Stand walk

In the meantime, you can browse more than 100 of our personally walked routes through Yorkshire Walks on The White Shire.

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