Cannon Hall was born as a residence owned by Gilbert Canun and presumably the name it still bears today derives from him. The property then passed to the Bosville family of Ardsley, and over the centuries to several families until John Spencer bought the estate in 1660. Cannon Hall is surrounded by 70 acres of parkland with historic gardens.

Thanks to the numerous archival artifacts, it is possible to have a glimpse of the personalities and lifestyles of the different family members and, at the same time, also an excellent account of how the estate was managed and the role of the family in Barnsley, in Yorkshire and Great Britain.

Elisabeth Fraser Spencer Stanhope, the last heir of the family, sold the property which was converted into a museum and opened to the public in 1957. From the 1950s to the present day, an interesting nucleus of paintings, drawings, ceramics, glass, objects in metal and furniture. The rooms of the Museum include both historical environments and exhibitions of art galleries spanning the centuries.