The estate of Temple Newsam, comprising of a mansion and its 917 acre park, was purchased from the Hon Edward
Wood (1881-1959), later Earl of Halifax, by the Leeds Corporation in 1922 for £35,000, a figure significantly
below its actual value. Most of the contents were dispersed in a seven-day sale later that year and the house
was shown to the public more or less as an empty shell until the late 1930s.
Opening of the House, 1923
In 1937 the Director of the City Art Gallery in Leeds, Philip Hendy, persuaded the city to let him develop Temple
Newsam as a museum of Decorative Arts. Hendy demonstrated how much better the house would look furnished by
holding the ground-breaking exhibition Paintings and Furniture from Yorkshire Houses in 1938-39. This was followed
by the acquisition in 1945 of the suite of James Pascall seat furniture made for the Picture Gallery in 1745.
Picture Gallery, c. 1940
The most significant gift to the collection was made in 1948 when Lord Halifax returned 85 'heirloom' paintings
to the house, a major part comprising of family portraits. A great many masterpieces of furniture, silver and
ceramics were subsequently acquired for the collections from a variety of different sources including post-war
country house sales. During the 1980s the closure of the City Art Gallery for renovations led to the redisplay
of the city's Old Master paintings at Temple Newsam, transforming it to a museum of the Fine as well as the
Decorative Arts.
The Oak Corridor, c. 1950
A restoration programme to return many of the impressive interiors to their historic appearance was started in
1983 and featured in 1996 the total redecoration of the Picture Gallery to mark the 250th anniversary of the room.
In tandem, the policy to repatriate museum quality objects that once formed part of the historic family collections
was rigorously pursued. In 1997 the collections were designated by the Museums and Galleries Commission as being
of pre-eminent national importance. A two-year project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to restore the
exterior of the mansion and enhance interpretation and visitor facilities was completed in 2003.
Today, Temple Newsam is justly celebrated as one of the great historic houses of England and famous for its
magnificent collections of furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles and wallpapers. The museum continues to provide
inspiration and enjoyment to all its visitors through a continued commitment to collection, exhibition and
interior restoration.
See also the Leodis Website
