New exhibition celebrates Cannon Hall’s family and home

18th May 2026

A new exhibition at Cannon Hall Museum explores 300 years of local history. Running from Saturday 23 May to Saturday 20 September 2026, the exhibition invites you to discover the people who called Cannon Hall home, from fiery personalities to fashionable society hosts, and rumoured spies to Pre-Raphaelite artists.

The journey of the Spencer, and later Spencer Stanhope, families takes you through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Experience how the hall was used throughout the generations, as a family home and a place for society, politics, and community life.

Some of the characters you will encounter in the exhibition include John Spencer, the first family member to live at Cannon Hall. Walter and Mary Spencer Stanhope filled the Hall with a large, sociable family and hosted politicians and gentry from across the country.

Find out about John Spencer Stanhope, a rumoured British spy who was arrested in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Follow the story of Sir Walter and Elizabeth Spencer Stanhope and their extended family of artists and sculptors, including Evelyn and William De Morgan.

Visitors of all ages can be inspired by the Spencer Stanhope family’s scrapbooks. Have a go at creating your own scrapbook or try on some dressing up to imagine you have been invited to one of the family’s fancy dress parties!

Loans from Spencer and Spencer Stanhope family descendants, Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum and Barnsley Archives and Local Studies create a unique combination of objects, archives, and paintings in an exhibition telling these stories in a new way for the first time.

Matt O’Neill, Executive Director for Place, said: “This new exhibition at Cannon Hall Museum is a great opportunity to discover more about the hall and the people who lived there. Fascinating new research will be brought to life within this beautiful, historic building. This a wonderful chance to visit Cannon Hall Museum, whether it’s your first or hundredth time!”

Nearly 70 years after Cannon Hall Museum opened its doors to the public, this exhibition showcases items which give you a glimpse into the family who called this place home.

Several of these objects and paintings have recently had conservation treatment, funded by Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust, alongside funding from National Manuscript Conservation Trust and The Leche Trust.

Cannon Hall Museum is open 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday during term time, and seven days a week during Barnsley’s school holidays. The museum, park and gardens are free to visit, but donations are welcome.