About
Cannon Hall Museum is a free country house museum set in 70 acres of parkland and walled gardens at Cawthorne, near Barnsley, managed by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The hall is a 17th-century country house substantially remodelled in the 1760s by the distinguished Yorkshire architect John Carr of York for the Spencer family, who had accumulated their fortune in coal and iron manufacture in the South Yorkshire coalfield. The house was acquired by Barnsley Corporation in 1951 and opened as a public museum and country park in 1957, making it one of the pioneering examples of post-war municipal provision of country house access in England.
The collections at Cannon Hall reflect the character of a regional museum occupying a country house of considerable quality, and fall into two distinct but complementary streams. The house itself contains period furniture, decorative glassware, pottery, and paintings displayed in appropriate domestic settings, creating an experience of a Georgian and early Victorian country house interior as it was used by prosperous Yorkshire gentry. The rooms furnished with furniture of the Spencer family period — combined with Regency glass, Staffordshire pottery, and a varied collection of paintings — give visitors a vivid sense of country house life in this part of England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The second major dimension of the collection is the regimental museum of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own), one of the most significant cavalry regimental museums in the north of England, housed in dedicated galleries within the hall. The regiment's history from the late 17th century through to amalgamation — including service in the Peninsular War, the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, the Boer War, and both World Wars — is presented through uniforms, weapons, medals, paintings, and personal objects of outstanding quality.
The walled gardens, restored to reflect their 18th-century character, are among the finest in South Yorkshire. The parkland beyond the gardens includes a deer park with resident fallow deer. Cannon Hall Farm, operated separately by the Spencer-Stanhope family on adjacent land, is one of Yorkshire's most popular visitor attractions, its enormous family audience bringing large numbers of visitors to the combined estate.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings in spring or autumn — the gardens and parkland are at their best in May and October, and the hall is uncrowded on weekdays.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Admission to the museum and gardens is completely free — Cannon Hall offers one of the most generous free heritage experiences in Yorkshire, including a Georgian country house, cavalry regimental museum, walled gardens, and deer parkland.
- The 13th/18th Royal Hussars regimental museum is the most significant collection at Cannon Hall — the Light Brigade connection and Peninsular War material are historically important and worth at least an hour of attention.
- Cannon Hall Farm (adjacent) is operated separately and charges for admission — it is a brilliant children's attraction but is not part of the free museum. The two together make an excellent full day for families.
- The walled gardens are at their most beautiful in May–June (spring planting) and again in September (late summer borders). A guided garden tour, if available, is highly recommended.
- If visiting with children, combine the museum with a deer spotting walk in the parkland — the fallow deer are often visible near the treeline and are a highlight for young visitors.
- Cooper Gallery in Barnsley town centre (6 miles, also free) is an excellent companion visit — together the two Barnsley MBC museums provide a very complete picture of South Yorkshire cultural heritage.
- Parking charges apply — bring coins or a card. Blue Badge holders park free. Weekend and school holiday parking can be busy because of Cannon Hall Farm — arrive early on peak days.
Highlights
The 13th/18th Royal Hussars Regimental Museum
One of the most significant cavalry regimental museum collections in the north of England is housed at Cannon Hall — the museum of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own). The collection covers the regiment's history from the late 17th century through to amalgamation into the Light Dragoons in 1992, including service in the Peninsular War under Wellington, the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in 1854, the Boer War, and distinguished service in both World Wars.
Uniforms, swords, pistols, standards, medals, and paintings are displayed with scholarship and care.
The Light Brigade connection alone makes this one of the most historically significant regimental collections in Yorkshire.
The John Carr Interiors
John Carr of York (1723–1807) was the most prolific and distinguished architect of 18th-century Yorkshire, and his remodelling of Cannon Hall in the 1760s for the Spencer family produced some of his finest domestic interiors. The entrance hall, staircase, and principal rooms retain significant Carr-period features — plasterwork ceilings, carved chimney pieces, and proportions that embody the Georgian ideal of elegant domestic comfort.
Visitors with an architectural interest will appreciate the quality of Carr's work at Cannon Hall alongside his better-known public buildings and country houses across Yorkshire.
The Walled Gardens
The walled gardens at Cannon Hall are among the finest restored kitchen and ornamental gardens in South Yorkshire, enclosed within high stone walls that create a sheltered microclimate and a sense of historic enclosure. The gardens have been restored to reflect their 18th-century character with herbaceous borders, productive kitchen garden areas, a glasshouse, and seasonal planting that provides colour and interest throughout the year from spring to autumn.
The gardens are at their most spectacular in late spring and early summer, when the borders reach their peak, and in autumn when the kitchen garden is at its most productive.
Decorative Glass Collection
Cannon Hall holds an exceptional collection of decorative glass spanning the 17th to 19th centuries — one of the strongest single-medium collections in any regional museum in Yorkshire. The collection includes 18th-century English drinking glasses, Venetian glass, air-twist and colour-twist stem glasses of the Georgian period, and Victorian pressed and coloured glass, all displayed within the hall's domestic room settings.
The glass collection has been a strength of Cannon Hall since the museum's opening and is a particular draw for collectors and those interested in the decorative arts.
Collections
Cannon Hall Museum's collections are held in two streams: the domestic collections of the hall itself, and the 13th/18th Royal Hussars regimental collection. The hall collections include decorative glass of the 17th–19th centuries (a particular strength), British pottery and ceramics with Yorkshire emphasis, period furniture, and paintings displayed in appropriate domestic settings.
The regimental museum holds uniforms, weapons, medals, paintings, and personal objects from the 13th/18th Royal Hussars, with particularly important material relating to the Peninsular War and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Together the collections provide an unusually complete experience of a Georgian country house with military heritage, complemented by 70 acres of parkland, walled gardens, and a working deer park.
Georgian Country House
The hall's period rooms furnished with 18th–19th century glass, ceramics, furniture, and paintings in appropriate domestic settings, reflecting the character of the Spencer family house.
📍 Throughout the hall — principal rooms
13th/18th Royal Hussars Regimental Museum
Comprehensive regimental museum covering the 13th/18th Royal Hussars from the late 17th century to amalgamation in 1992, including Peninsular War, Light Brigade, Boer War, and World War service.
📍 Regimental museum galleries
Glass Through the Centuries
The hall's exceptional decorative glass collection from the 17th to the 19th century, including English drinking glasses, Venetian glass, and Victorian pressed glass.
📍 Glass Room and Dining Room
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
Nearby Museums (5 within 6 miles)
National Coal Mining Museum for England
Science, Technology & Industry
Wakefield — ~99 min walk (5.1 mi)