Temple Newsam House is a magnificent stately home, surrounded by acres of land. It is a Tudor Jacobean Mansion House with over 42 rooms. The whole estate is almost 1,000 acres including parkland, lakes and a farm. The grounds of Newsam was first recorded in the Doomsday book in 1086. The word Newsam means 'new houses' and 'temple' refers to the Knights Templar who used to own the land where the house is built.
Tudor History of Temple Newsam House
The house was built by Thomas Lord Darcy between 1500 - 1520. It was the largest house of its day in Yorkshire. During its long history there have been many important owners. It was seized by the King of England, Henry VIII, after he beheaded Darcy in 1537. King Henry gave the house to his niece, Margaret, as a wedding present when she married Matthew Lennox. Margaret and Matthew had a son, Henry Lord Darnley, who was born at Temple Newsam House in 1545. The house was seized for the second time by Queen Elizabeth I when Henry Lord Darnley married Mary Queen of Scots.
The House Under the Ingram Family
During the sixteenth and seventeenth century the Ingram family bought, changed and rebuilt many parts of the house.
Temple Newsam in WW1
During WW1 part of the house was converted to a Voluntary Aid Detatchment for wounded soldiers.
Leeds City Council Ownership
In 1922 the estate was sold to Leeds City Council for £35,000, with the house included as a gift. The objects and furniture were auctioned off. The house was then empty for a period of time, before being used as a sculpture gallery in the 1940s. After this, the process of restoring the house began, returning many of the impressive interiors to their historic appearance from different centuries.
Temple Newsam house and grounds are open to the public as part of Leeds Museums and Galleries. There are tales of murders, mysteries, wealth, love, death, war and even ghosts, offering a wealth of information that will interest, excite and delight visitors and schools.
The story of the house, its owners and significant events that happened at Temple Newsam can be found in the downloadable timeline.