diff --git a/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/Workspace.h b/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/Workspace.h
index c777780aec4348e837cd40f4a7c9f80178c13604..8b6c0a0366cda1ad5c07b598bc2b963431a581e5 100644
--- a/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/Workspace.h
+++ b/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/Workspace.h
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ public:
   const std::string &getComment() const;
   const std::string &getName() const override;
   bool isDirty(const int n = 1) const;
+  virtual bool isGroup() const { return false; }
   /// Get the footprint in memory in bytes.
   virtual size_t getMemorySize() const = 0;
   /// Returns the memory footprint in sensible units
diff --git a/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/WorkspaceGroup.h b/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/WorkspaceGroup.h
index bd9dbf8a5b77774749c9059ca2dce12f20243ef5..3b2f6b99335e874f8773091b4ea6d4cb2e69ba35 100644
--- a/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/WorkspaceGroup.h
+++ b/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/WorkspaceGroup.h
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ public:
   void removeItem(const size_t index);
   /// Remove all names from the group but do not touch the ADS
   void removeAll();
+  bool isGroup() const override { return true; } 
   /// This method returns true if the group is empty (no member workspace)
   bool isEmpty() const;
   bool areNamesSimilar() const;
diff --git a/Framework/API/test/MatrixWorkspaceTest.h b/Framework/API/test/MatrixWorkspaceTest.h
index 73a74dc9f39622807b139e9e818a02158c22e81b..7ad7a0397491d269b7ece4ebb7f1ab4fb4f443e2 100644
--- a/Framework/API/test/MatrixWorkspaceTest.h
+++ b/Framework/API/test/MatrixWorkspaceTest.h
@@ -2036,6 +2036,11 @@ public:
         ws->hasOrientedLattice(), false);
   }
 
+  void test_isGroup() {
+    boost::shared_ptr<MatrixWorkspace> ws(makeWorkspaceWithDetectors(3, 1));
+    TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(ws->isGroup(), false);
+  }
+
 private:
   WorkspaceTester m_workspace;
   WorkspaceTester m_workspaceSans;
diff --git a/Framework/API/test/WorkspaceGroupTest.h b/Framework/API/test/WorkspaceGroupTest.h
index 5d70069b2a6cba9a272096f806e473004182e053..9f33eab56ef920462ea1e8d8009af34e671b9603 100644
--- a/Framework/API/test/WorkspaceGroupTest.h
+++ b/Framework/API/test/WorkspaceGroupTest.h
@@ -347,6 +347,11 @@ public:
     TS_ASSERT(group->isMultiperiod());
   }
 
+  void test_isGroup() {
+    WorkspaceGroup_sptr group = makeGroup();
+    TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(group->isGroup(), true);
+  }
+
   void test_isInGroup() {
     WorkspaceGroup_sptr group = makeGroup();
     auto ws1 = group->getItem(1);