Temple Newsam was built by Thomas, Lord Darcy between c 1490 and 1520. Celebrated as the birthplace in 1545
of Henry, Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of James Vl and l of Scotland and England,
the house was for 300 years from 1622 onwards owned by the Ingram family.
It finally passed out of private ownership in 1922 when the Hon. Edward Wood, the future Lord Halifax, gave it
to Leeds Corporation. Almost the entire contents of the house were dispersed in a seven-day sale leaving the
building virtually empty.
Efforts to develop it as a country house museum of decorative arts were interrupted by World War ll when the
building was largely stripped of its historic decoration so that it could be used as the city's Art Gallery.
After the war the house was used as a neutral backdrop for the developing collections of decorative arts.
In 1983 a policy designed to reclaim Temple Newsam as a major work of art in its own right was instituted, and
a programme of internal restoration begun. The intention has always been to provide a more accurate and
inspiring context for the public to enjoy the collections of fine and decorative art. In 1997 the collections
were designated by the Museum and Galleries Commission as being of pre-eminent importance.
The internal development of Temple Newsam
The Restoration of the Picture Gallery, 1996
The Restoration of Historic Interiors 1983 - 2002
