The best way to tour Oakwell Hall is to visit. Until you get here, you can enjoy a virtual trip around this wonderfully authentic 16th-Century Manor House.
Use the red hotspots to access more information. If you’re viewing on a smaller screen like a mobile, you’ll find this virtual tour best in horizontal/landscape view.
The Great Hall
Dog Gates: A decorative and practical feature. These gates were used to prevent household dogs (kept for hunting and hawking - not as pets) from going upstairs. These are a rare survival.
Chandelier: A gift from the Bronte Society in 1977. Reproduction.
Table: Made of oak and dates from 1600 - 1650. Carved frieze along one side only, suggests that when in use it was positioned against a wall. Purchased with the assistance of a grant from V&A Museum.
Settle: A 17th-century piece. Note lozenge carving on back panel - probably made locally. Settle cover embroidered by the Oakwell Broiderers.
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 the varying mineral content of raw materials, e.g. yellow and green indicate arsenic content. A large window was an indication of wealth.
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 Kitchen
The kitchen is furnished with reproduction items. The fire and stove can be lit and the room is regularly used by visiting school children.
Reproduction of a 17th-century charcoal-burning stove based on one in Skipton Castle.
Probably 19th century as it is too small for a 16/17th-century fireplace.
There is a large selection of pottery, mostly brown earthenware.
Oakcake rack: Suspended from the ceiling and also known as a creel. Used to hang oat-cakes to dry once they had been baked on a griddle.
The Great Parlour
This would have been the most important room in the house and furnished with the best pieces. By the late 17th century, parlours and dining rooms were the preferred rooms for entertaining guests and dining in private.
Day bed: a 17th-century version of the settee. Could be used to seat several people or one person lounging. Could also serve as a bed if needed. This is a 19th-century reproduction
Panelling: Oak panelling decorated with painting technique (known as scumbling) to resemble walnut. Probably dates from 1690s and uses a linseed oil-based paint to achieve three-dimensional effect. The panelling is an unusual feature and shows the family had some wealth and status in the local area. Certain panels have been restored.
The set of four late 17th-century chairs have been re-caned and re-upholstered.Gate-leg tables began to replace long tables from the Civil War onwards. This is a late 17th-century piece and is made from oak, elm and walnut.
Once a magnificent plaster ceiling, thought to have been made by local plasterer, Francis Lee, and destroyed when a chimney collapsed during a storm in 1883. Fragments remain and some are on display in the Buttery. The design incorporated the Batt Coat of Arms.
Chest of Drawers: Late 17th-century piece with walnut veneer on loan from V&A Museum.
The New Parlour
The New Parlour is displayed as a private dining room for the family in the 1690s. Inventories of this period show that parlours often contained bedsteads and bedding - it was not unusual to find rooms downstairs being used as bed chambers.
The oak refectory table has a variety of reproduction pottery and pewter for a family meal.<br />The armed chair at the head of the table dates from 1670. The date and the initials IP are carved into the backrest. Made entirely of oak and on loan from V&A Museum.
Side table: Late 17th century oak table with a selection of dishes and cutlery.
Spice cupboard: Late 17th-century oak. Spices were used extensively but were expensive and were kept under lock and key.
Portraits: It was fashionable in the late 17th century to hang portraits of important people in the dining room, probably to impress visitors. The three portraits in this room are: Charles II, Sir Thomas Fairfax and William Cavendish.