A 500-year-old checklist detailing the complete contents of Temple Newsam House when it was first built has gone on display in an exhibition exploring centuries of life above and below stairs. Compiled for Thomas, Lord Darcy, thought to be the house’s first official resident, the fascinating inventory would have served as comprehensive stocktake of…
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Senior councillors in Leeds will discuss proposals to invest £1.2million in a range of new leisure facilities at Temple Newsam golf course at a meeting next week. The meeting of the council’s executive board on Thursday 24 September will be asked to approve plans which would alter the current golf course facilities to offer…
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When notoriously shrewd Yorkshire investor Sir Arthur Ingram first commissioned the imposing lettering atop Temple Newsam House almost four centuries ago, he certainly got his money’s worth. Thought to be the wordiest architectural addition of its kind anywhere in Britain, the lengthy statement still spans the rooftop today and is one of the mansion’s…
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Stunningly intricate patterns made using millions of grains of salt have transformed the great hall of Temple Newsam House for a new exhibition celebrating the mansion’s history. Artist Catherine Bertola has reinterpreted the story of the stunning Tudor Jacobean building’s unique architecture and its generations of residents as she brings Below the Salt to…
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A group of ex-pit workers from Leeds have gone back to the coal face, working with volunteers to unearth the history of mining at Temple Newsam. Blot on the Landscape, a new exhibition at Temple Newsam House, explores stories of deep shaft, drift and open cast mining on the estate, which once saw large…
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Nestling under the tree or carefully placed inside a stocking, they were the must-have toys and games which delighted generations of eager Leeds children on Christmas morning. The nostalgic collection of festive favourites has been brought together for the first time at Temple Newsam House and includes some of the most popular and sought-after…
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A collection of exquisitely carved music stands will go on display at Temple Newsam House this week to end the Leeds International Piano Competition on a high note. The group of seven beautifully intricate creations have been crafted by members of the Master Carvers’ Association, inspired by the 300th anniversary of the great Otley-born…
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Sweet-toothed aristocrats in Leeds were among the country’s earliest chocoholics, fascinating new documents have revealed. Ahead of tomorrow’s World Chocolate Day, an exquisite bill of sale plucked from a vast collection of archives in Leeds after more than 240 years shows that centuries ago, fashionable nobles at Temple Newsam House became part of an…
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Take a stroll through the centuries this weekend as the historic Temple Newsam estate travels back in time through several periods of history. Time travellers will have the chance to meet Saxon warriors, Tudor lords and ladies and Second World War civilians when Temple Newsam turns back the clock to host a special programme…
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Plush, lavish and luxurious, Temple Newsam’s crimson state bed is well and truly fit for a Queen Anne. The eye-catching bed is more than 300 years old and was commissioned in 1711 by John, 1st Earl Poulett as part of a concerted effort to impress his monarch, Queen Anne, who had given him the…
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A puzzling pub peculiarity, this dainty-looking jug was once a popular way for landlords to keep their punters entertained. Known as a puzzle jug, the ceramic receptacle is a fine example of a type that was a regular feature in homes and taverns in the 18th and 19th centuries. This particular jug was made…
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A delicious taste of the elegance, opulence and extravagance of life in Georgian Britain will be served up to museum-goers in Leeds. The rise of London gin shops and traditional Georgian jellies will be among the topics covered during a fascinating talk at Leeds City Museum, currently home to a stunning collection of furniture…
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Beneath the lavish halls and chambers of Temple Newsam House, a huge network of cellars was once liberally stocked with thousands upon thousands of gallons of beer. Upstairs, 18th-century aristocrats would host lavish banquets and parties where locally-brewed ales would flow freely and guests would raise a toast to kings and queens. Now that…
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A beautifully elaborate example work by a word famous Leeds master craftsman, this beautiful lady’s secretaire will be going on display at Leeds City Museum next month. Made by none other than Thomas Chippendale, the stunning cabinet was created in 1773 and fashioned from specially-imported Chinese lacquer panels. Originally made for the State Bedroom…
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The gigantic silver wine cooler that dominates the dining room at Temple Newsam House is a truly dazzling sight to behold. Weighing an impressive 2,500 ounces and measuring almost a metre-and-a-half across, the cooler was acquired by Leeds Museums and Galleries in 2011. Made between 1685 and 1710, the cooler bears the mark of…
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It’s the quintessentially British brew that over the centuries has been enjoyed by everyone from Yorkshire’s lords and ladies, to its miners and mill workers. Now a curator’s exciting new discovery about the history of the humble cuppa is causing quite a stir at Temple Newsam House. The fascinating document, found buried in local…
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It could well be the most delicate and exclusive piece of removals work Leeds has ever seen. This week at Temple Newsam House, curators began the daunting task of relocating a number of historic pieces of furniture created by world-renowned mastercraftsman Thomas Chippendale ahead of a new exhibition at Leeds City Museum in February.…
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Hidden away, deep inside Temple Newsam House is a fantastically festive creation worthy of Santa’s most enterprising elves. The wonderful workshop will be the latest addition to the beautiful mansion’s spectacular 500 years of Christmas celebrations, which take place this Saturday and Sunday. Crafted entirely from leftover parts taken from previous exhibitions and installations,…
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Decorated with a curious mixture of Roman style pillars, a mysterious fake door and a fully working church organ, it’s a room with a very unusual tale to tell. And this winter, experts at Temple Newsam will be working behind the scenes to open a new chapter in the 270 year-old story of the…
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The film explores the workings of the magnificent musical clock and automaton made by the royal clockmaker George Pyke in 1765. It is one of the great treasures of Temple Newsam and was comprehensively restored in 2014 and brought back into full working order for the enjoyment of our visitors. We see how the…
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