Woodsome Hall Golf Club in West Yorkshire has just discovered that its clubhouse building is quite a lot older than was thought. So much so that it is believed to be one of the oldest original buildings being used as a golf clubhouse in the world.
After a successful dendrochronology (tree ring dating) process of the original timber trusses in the roof of the main hall, it has been confirmed that the date of Woodsome’s Hall is 1462. It was previously thought to be a 16th century building.
Carried out by The Nottingham Tree Dating Laboratory (NTDL), analysis was undertaken on samples from 10 different main structural timbers to the roof of the Great Hall. A total of 98 rings were dated as spanning the years 1365 to 1462.
NTDL suggest that it is very likely that all the dated timbers were cut at the same time for the construction of the Great Hall roof. The dating report states: “As a result of this dating, the Great Hall range should not be referred to as a 16th century ‘Elizabethan’ building, but is of late-15th century, ‘Tudor’ date.
Woodsome member Phil Sands, who led the project, said: “If Laurence Kaye, who funded much of the building work at Woodsome were to travel back from the 15th century to today he would still recognise his hall. We also know that Woodsome existed as a settlement from about 1236. There is a strong case for Woodsome to claim that we have one of the oldest original buildings used as a golf clubhouse in the world.”
Woodsome General Manager Ryan O’Connor says that visitors to the club, which was founded in 1922 and is located a few miles south of Huddersfield, are always very impressed with the unique surroundings. “From the moment you approach the clubhouse, you get a real sense of history. It makes a visit to Woodsome even more special and memorable.”