Collections at Lotherton Hall
The backbone of Lotherton's collection is still the Gascoigne bequest gathered here by the family, consisting of splendid furniture, silver, china, paintings, sculpture and textiles. This indigenous core has been enriched by gifts, bequests and purchases.
All aspects of the fine and decorative arts are represented and cover the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The picture collection is particularly impressive for its wide variety of family portraits and sporting paintings. The most important work is Pompeo Batoni's Portrait of the 8th Baronet, Sir Thomas Gascoigne, together with Francis Wheatley's ambitious painting of the Irish House of Commons, acquired by Sir Thomas sometime after 1783 and installed at nearby Parlington Hall. Amongst the most popular paintings are Portrait of Mrs Laura Gascoigne and her son Alvary by Edward Hughes and Edward VIII by John St Helier Lander.
During Sir Thomas's time Parlington was well known for its stables and Sir Thomas's interest in racing. This is reflected in the array of silver gilt race cups won by Parlington-bred horses from 1776 to 1842. Perhaps the grandest is the Doncaster Cup of 1828, bought with the aid of the Lotherton Endowment Fund. Made by the London firm of Emes and Barnard, the design of the cup is copied from an engraving by G. B. Piranesi of an antique marble vase excavated by Gavin Hamilton at Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli in 1769. Many other examples of nineteenth century silver, by the best designers and makers, have been acquired by means of the Lotherton Endowment Fund, notably the silver gilt ewer and basin by Aldwinkle and Slater of London which is signed by 
the artist L. Movio.
Fine nineteenth century furniture is also a feature of Lotherton. The 'Gothic' chairs designed for Windsor Castle by the architect A. W. Pugin in 1827 and shown in the library are notable examples. Pugin went on to collaborate in the creation of the Houses of Parliament in London. Equally spectacular is the suite of bedroom furniture designed in the 1860s by Charles Bevan for the home of the enlightened Yorkshire Industrialist Titus Salt. Together with the pianos and cabinets in the drawing room it exemplifies the high-quality work produced by the Leeds firm of furnishers, Marsh & Jones.
The ceramics collection is particularly complete, ranging from the Chinese armorial service acquired by Sir Thomas in the 1770s to contemporary pottery and porcelain by such makers as Bernard Leach, Lucie Rie and Liz Fritsch. Many potters this century have been influenced by the kind of early Chinese ceramics bequeathed by Frank Savery to Leeds in 1965. These reflect the main types of Chinese wares made from the neolithic period to the fifteenth century, and are shown alongside oriental screens, furniture and paintings acquired by the Colonel on numerous foreign trips.
Lotherton's holdings of historical costume have their roots in the Sanderson collection bought by Leeds City Art Galleries in 1949. Especially rich in eighteenth-century dresses and fine suits, the collection has been extended to include work by leading modern designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes.
Also housed at Lotherton are some of Leeds City Art Galleries' nineteenth century English sculptures. Well represented is the Leeds-born artist Joseph Gott (1786-1860), who produced such memorable masterpieces as his portrait of George Banks, the Leeds cloth merchant. These accompany works from the Gascoigne's own collections like Christopher Hewetson's busts of Mr and Mrs Henry Swinburne and the Alcyone and Ceyx relief. The collections continue to grow and the restoration of the interiors of Lotherton Hall to their appearance when a family home may in future provide a shift of emphasis in what is purchased.
If you would like to be involved in the work of the Hall why not join the Leeds Arts Collection Fund. Founded in 1912, the Fund is one of the oldest supporting 'Friends' bodies for the visual arts in Great Britain. Through subscriptions and fund raising events the LACF enriches the collections of the Leeds Galleries.
Lotherton Hall is one of the three buildings that make up Leeds City Art Galleries. The City's large and comprehensive collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century decorative art is housed alongside the Ingram family collection at Temple Newsam House while excellent Victorian, modern and contemporary paintings, watercolours and sculptures are shown at the City Art Gallery.