Other Information
Keep in touch
Enjoying this page?
Support the Friends
Our work would not continue without the support of people like you. If you can make a donation of any amount, please click the button. Thank you.
Google Translate
Start the Virtual Tour: Great Hall
Minstrel's Gallery, Study & Staircase
The Minstrel Gallery overlooks the Great Hall and gives you a wonderful view of the large window which is such a feature of the Hall.
The window probably dates from mid 17th century and still contains the original glass which was hand made and has scratched signatures. The colour is due to varying mineral content of raw materials, e.g. yellow and green indicate arsenic content. A large window was an indication of wealth.
The small study, sited off the Gallery, is probably where John Batt contemplated the estates accounts and family affairs. The 1611 inventory of Robert Batt of Oakwell Hall shows him to have over 60 books at a time when books were very expensive and few people could read.
Peeping down the Grand Staircase (sadly no longer in use) gives you a sense of the opulence of life here at Oakwell in its heyday.