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Temple Newsam

Temple Newsam is a 15th centuryTudor-Jacobean house in Leeds, famous as the birthplace of Lord Darnley, the ill-fated husband of Mary, Queen of Scots and with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown.

 

The manor of Newsam was owned by the Knights Templar in the 12th century before the estate passed to the Darcy family, and Thomas, Lord Darcy built the first manor house here in about 1500. One wing of Darcy's original manor survives as the central block of the current house.

Darcy was executed for treason for his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1537and his lands were seized by the crown. Henry VIII gave Newsam to the Countess of Lennox, and her son, Henry, Lord Darnley was born and raised here. After Darnley's murder, Elizabeth I seized the estate, and the house languished in a state of neglect until 1622 when it was purchased by Sir Arthur Ingram. Ingram tore down much of the earlier manor house and built two large new wings to form the basis of the house we see today.

 

In 1758 Charles, 9th Lord Irwin, married a rich heiress and used her money to transform the interior of Temple Newsam and fill it with a collection of fine art including Old Master works. They hired James Wyatt to build a grand staircase, and Capability Brown to create the landscape garden that surrounds the house.

 

The house was the home of the Ingram family for over 300 years until 1922 when Lord Halifax sold the park and house to Leeds Corporation for a nominal sum, placing covenants over them to ensure their preservation for the future. The house and estate are now owned by Leeds City Council and open to the public.

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Uploaded on January 10, 2015
Taken on January 1, 2015