Lotherton Hall is a modest late-Victorian and Edwardian house, full of charm and character.
The house is filled with a notable collection of furniture and works of art collected by the Gascoignes, an old Yorkshire family and augmented at the end of the 20th century by Leeds City Arts Galleries.
In 1825 Richard Oliver Gascoigne purchase the late-18th century house and engaged the local architects J.P. Pritchett and Charles Watson to remodel the building.
The Gascoigne family had been landowners in the area since the 16th century but their principal residence was at Parlingham Park (later demolished) on the other side of the Great North Road.
Lotherton Hall did not become the family's main seat until Richard Gascoigne's grandson Frederick inherited the property at the end of the 19th century.
Between 1895 and 1931 Frederick and his wife enlarged and improved Lotherton Hall and created a new formal garden. The rooms were decorated for comfort rather than show and filled with furnishings and paintings from Parlingham Park.
On the death of Frederick Gascoigne's son in 1970 Lotherton Hall and its contents, together with an endowment fund, were left to the City of Leeds. The fund has allowed the considerable collection to expand.
The oldest part of the property is a late-12th century Chapel which stands on its own to the left of the entrance. This low rugged building was restored by Frederick Gascoigne during World War I and now houses a rood screen by Ninian Comper and pieces from European churches.
The west or entrance range was added in 1903. The long garden front is a mixture of styles and incorporates the facade of the original house between the 1903 range and an extension built between 1895 - 1931t. The main reception rooms look out over the formal Edwardian gardens.
The interiors of Lotherton Hall have well-displayed contents giving a fascinating insight into the life of a Edwardian country house. The house contains collections of furniture, silver, ceramics and porcelain, sculpture and costume including many family heirlooms.
From the carriage porch on the entrance front is a vestibule, containing a relief carved by Thomas Banks in Rome dated 1775, leading into the Main Hall which is furnished as a living room and is hung with family portraits. These include Grand Tour portraits of Sir Edward Gascoigne by Francesco Trevisani and Sir Thomas Gascoigne by Pompeo Batoni.
The Drawing Room also dates from 1903 and is decorated in neo-Adam style and the furniture was introduced by the Leeds museum service including tables and pier glasses created by Vile and Cobb in 1761 and a marble-topped table by William Burges dated 1867.
The Morning Room is part of the original house and the furniture includes pieces by the Gillow firm brought here from Parlington Hall.
The Library, which was designed as a dining room in the 1890s, and the present Dining Room, completed in 1931, also contain furniture from Parlington.
The bedrooms upstairs include the Cape Bedroom, with papier-mache furniture, dated 1851, and the Rhodesia Bedroom with it's neo-Georgian suite made by Heals in 1903. In the bedrooms are a collection of paintings by early-20th century British artists including William Nicholson, Matthew Smith, Steer, Brangwyn and Sickert.
Galleries have been created from the guest bedrooms and these have a collection of 20th century costume.
The period gardens around Lotherton Hall have a bird garden and a deer park which stretches away to the horizon.
2008: House: Apr-Oct:Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00 Sun 13:00-17:00; Nov-Dec and Mar:Tue-Sat 10:00-16:00 Sun 12:00-16:00 Last entry 45mins before close. Closed Mon (except Bank Holidays), Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day & Jan-Feb: Gardens open at 08:00
Tel: 0113 264 5535 Lotherton Hall Website
