The History of Lotherton Hall

The History of Lotherton Hall In continuous occupation since the 7th century, Lotherton takes its name from an Anglo-Saxon settler called Hluttor whose farm or 'tun' occupied the site in early times. By 1086 records suggest that a hall or manor house had been built here and, during the Middle Ages, a number of tenants are recorded as having lived on the site, including such well known Yorkshire families as the Nevilles and the de Hothams.

In the 1540s the farmlands surrounding the hall were purchased by John Gascoigne of Lasingcroft to form part of his newly acquired Parlington Estate. The Hall itself did not become the property of the family until 1825 when both house and park were purchased by Richard Oliver Gascoigne. Some attempts were made to re-fashion the existing building at this time but it was not until Richard's grandson, Colonel Frederick Gascoigne, inherited the property in 1893 that the house took on its present form. Together with his wife Gwendolen, Colonel Gascoigne extended and remodelled the house and gardens to create a charming home for his family. After his death in 1937 the estates passed to his son and daughter-in-law, Sir Alvary and Lady Gascoigne, who retired here in 1953 after an active diplomatic career.

In 1968 they presented the Hall to the City of Leeds, together with its park, garden and art collections. These, along with items brought from Temple Newsam House and Leeds City Art Gallery and objects bought specially for the house since it opened as a museum in 1969 are what visitors to the house see today, a lasting testimony to an ancient Yorkshire family and support of the arts by the people of Leeds.

The Gasgoigne Family of Lotherton and Parlington The Gascoigne family originated in Gascony and is said to have come to England at the time of the Norman Conquest. By the fourteenth century the Gascoignes had estates at Gawthorpe and Harewood, where some of their tombs can still be seen. Eventually the estates were to pass on to Thomas Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse, who married the Gascoigne heiress, Margaret, in 1567.

The junior branch of the family, headed by Nicholas Gascoigne, acquired the estate of Lasingcroft in 1392. This was to remain the family seat until the sixteenth century, when Richard Gascoigne purchased the estate of Barnbow not far from Leeds. This in turn was to be supplanted by Parlington. Set due west of Aberford, the Parlington estate had been bought by Richard Gascoigne's father John from Thomas Wentworth in 1546.

Sir John Gascoigne, the 1st Baronet, succeeded in 1602; he was Richard Gascoigne's grandson and until the death of Sir Thomas Gascoigne in 1810 there was a continuous succession. Sir John and his family had reverted to Roman Catholicism in 1604. Sir Thomas, 2nd baronet, also a zealous Catholic, was an ardent supporter of the Royal cause in the Civil War and had his land confiscated in 1644. A critic said of him that he was mentally incapable, but he gave some indication of his ability when he secured his own acquittal in the face of the notorious Judge Jeffries, on a charge of treason for his part in the so-called Barnbow Plot. He afterwards retired to Lampspringe, in Germany, where his younger brother John was Abbot, and died there in 1686.

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His surviving son succeeded him but died without an heir, whereupon the estates passed to his two nephews in turn. The elder, Thomas, 4th Baronet, who is said to have conformed to the Established Church, also died without heir, leaving his estates to his brother. In 1723 the lands were inherited by Edward Gascoigne, who became the 6th Baronet. He travelled extensively on the Continent, returning to settle at Parlington in 1726. In the same year he married Mary, the daughter and heir of Sir Francis Hungate of nearby Huddleston Hall. She eventually brought with her a considerable estate; the Elizabethan Hall survives to this day.

He was succeeded by his two sons, the younger, Sir Thomas, became 8th Baronet in 1762. Born at Cambrai in 1745 and educated in France, he had spent a large part of his early life on the Continent.

He returned to settle at Parlington in 1779, a year which also saw him in Paris, Bordeaux, Milan, Naples and Rome, where he was painted by Pompeo Batoni. He is depicted in the elegant pose and cultured surroundings, symbolic of his education, taste and intellectual pursuits. Such portraits were Batoni's speciality.

Indeed it was Sir Thomas who acquired Francis Wheatley's Irish House of Commons and ordered the Chinese armorial tea and dinner services which can still be seen in the house. He was a member of Parliament and the strength of his political views is reflected in the Triumphal Arch built on his estate at Parlington to show his approval of American Independence.

The architect was Thomas Leverton, who was also among those who submitted designs for a new house at Parlington; John Carr of York was another. Sir Thomas was a keen agriculturist and racehorse owner; his successes are commemorated in the magnificent series of Race Cups at Lotherton. He renounced the Roman Catholic faith of his predecessors and died without heir in 1810. Under his will the estates passed to Richard Oliver, son of the Hon. Silver Oliver of County Limerick: he married Sir Thomas's step-daughter and, taking the surname and arms of Gascoigne, lived at Parlington for thirty-three years and maintained the agricultural interest and racing successes of Sir Thomas. It was he who in 1825 purchased Lotherton Hall and Park from Lamplugh Raper, a local landowner.

R. 0. Gascoigne's daughters Mary Isabella and Elizabeth inherited the estate in 1843, and whilst unmarried lived together at Parlington. They were noted for their generosity both locally (building the Almshouses at Aberford in a picturesque Gothic style in 1844) and in Ireland, where they assumed responsibility for the relief of distress on their Oliver estates during the potato famine of 1846-47.

When they married they divided the Yorkshire lands between them, Mary Isabella living at Parlington with her husband Frederick Charles Trench, who took the surname Gascoigne. Elizabeth married Charles' cousin Frederick Mason Trench, the 2nd Baron Ashtown, in 1852. They took the Lotherton property although they did not live there, and died without an heir. In 1893 Lotherton passed to Mary Isabella's son Colonel Frederick R. T. T. Gascoigne, a noted soldier and traveller.

Together with his wife Gwendolen, daughter of a famous engineer, Sir Douglas Calton (and second cousin to Florence Nightingale), the Colonel set about remodelling and improving the house to accommodate his growing family. From

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1897 to 1931 a new dining room, entrance hall, drawing room and servants' wing were added to the house, whilst Mrs Gascoigne created the charming Edwardian gardens along the south front. In 1905 the Gascoignes inherited the Parlington estates and hall. Many of the furnishings were transferred to Lotherton and the old house was shuttered and abandoned. It was finally demolished in the 1950s.

Colonel and Mrs Gascoigne had three children, Alvary, Oliver (who died in infancy) and Cynthia. Alvary inherited the house in 1937 and, on his retirement from the Diplomatic Service, lived here with his wife Lorna Priscilla, until his death in 1970.

Sir Alvary and Lady Gascoigne made few alterations to the house but enriched it with oriental works of art acquired during Sir Alvary's service as British Ambassador to Japan and Moscow. Sir Alvary's only son, Douglas Wilder Gascoigne, was killed in action during the Second World War and in 1968 the house and its contents were presented to the City of Leeds, together with an endowment fund for buying works of art for the collection. Many of the Gascoignes' friends and retainers continue to live on in Aberford and the surrounding area.

Gascoigne Family Tree

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Floor Plan Lotherton

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First Floor

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Tour of Lotherton Hall - The Approach Visitors to Lotherton Hall today still pass the pretty Lodge Cottage of 1906 as they sweep up the tree-lined drive towards the main car park. Historically guests would have travelled in a gentle curve to the east of the stable block before passing through the grand stone gate piers which form the entrance to the garden.

From this direction visitors are able to catch their first glimpse of the house with its irregular roofline and picturesque facade. Despite its covering of rough cast and uniform limestone window dressings it is clear that the Hall is the product of many additions and subtractions.

The oldest part can be seen in the shallow bow and in the two windows to the right of it. This was local landowner Lamplugh Raper's modest Georgian villa, purchased and extended by Richard Oliver Gascoigne and his successors.

The bay-windowed block to the East was added by Colonel Gascoigne's architect, J. Osborne Smith, during the 1890s and housed the Colonel's dining room. In 1903 the Colonel extended the house to the west to form a grand entrance hall and drawing room which project into the present rose garden. To the east is the new Dining Room wing added to the house as late as 1931 which continues the theme of asymmetry whilst balancing the Drawing Room bay.

The Vestibule The entrance front is dominated by the great porte-cochere or covered porchway whose oak paved floor was intended to deaden the sound of approaching car and carriage wheels.

Its mahogany doors open into the VESTIBULE. Originally hung with maroon cloth curtains and furnished with oak settles and chests, the vestibule now houses one of the most important sculptures in the building, Thomas Banks' relief Alcyone discovering the dead body of her husband Ceyx. Carved in Rome c1775, the work was won in a raffle by Mr and Mrs Henry Swinburne, who presented it to their friend Sir Thomas Gascoigne in that year.

The Reception Visitors now pass into the shop and RECEPTION AREA created in 1970 from the Gascoignes' household office. Beyond is the Ceramic Gallery. Also created in 1970, the space was developed from the servants' wing of 1906. It houses the celebrated Savery collection of early Chinese ceramics as well as works of art from the Gascoigne collection.

Main Hall Visitors now pass into the shop and RECEPTION AREA created in 1970 from the Gascoigne's household office. Beyond is the Ceramic Gallery. Also created in 1970, the space was developed from the servants' wing of 1906. It houses the celebrated Savery collection of early Chinese ceramics as well as works of art from the Gascoigne collection.

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The Drawing Room Colonel Gascoigne was also responsible for the creation of the DRAWING ROOM. He chose to decorate this important reception room in the fashionable Georgian revival manner. With its Adam-style plasterwork and chimneypiece the room was contrived to give good views over the garden and park beyond. The walls are still hung with a green silk damask of c.1903. When the room was not in use (particularly when the family was at their London or Scottish house) the hangings were covered by cotton curtains which were suspended from nails in the picture rail. These were intended to protect the fabric from dust and light. Few of the original furnishings of the room survive, although many of the paintings shown here are listed as being in the room at the time of the Colonel's death in 1937. The light fittings are also original, the most impressive being the glass and ormolu chandelier in the centre of the room. This was supplied by the firm of Perry and Co. when the house was electrified in 1903.

The Boudoir THE MORNING ROOM or BOUDOIR contrasts sharply with the grandeur of the Drawing Room. Part of the eighteenth- century core of the house, it took on its present form around 1828 when it was remodelled in the Greek revival taste by the York firm of architects, Watson, Pritchett and Watson.

Their plans for reconstructing the remainder of the house for Richard Oliver Gascoigne were never adopted and their decorative scheme in the Boudoir was modified by the Colonel, who introduced the Adam-style chimneypiece and plasterwork. The room has recently been redecorated in the colours chosen by Colonel Gascoigne and his wife around the turn of the century, when it was used as an informal sitting room. The walls display a variety of cabinet pictures, most of which were here in 1937. Many of them had been inherited by Gwendolen Gascoigne from her grandparents' home, Hadzor House, near Droitwich in Worcestershire. The curtains were made by Lady Gascoigne's seamstress, Mrs Saywood, who also produced the loose covers on the sofa and armchair.

In the Morning Room can be seen furniture from Parlington Hall, made by the firm of Gillows of Lancaster. Also here are two cabinets made of an unusual timber called stinkwood: these were brought back from South Africa by the Colonel during the 1930s.

The Medal Room Moving through the doorway, visitors now enter the MEDAL ROOM. Probably intended as the Drawing Room in Georgian Lotherton, it was refitted by the Colonel to accommodate his celebrated collection of military books and medals. The mahogany bookcases still survive, as do the iron window and door grilles, intended to protect the room against burglary. Sadly the Colonel's collection of coins and medals was dispersed after his death in 1937; the books remain together at the Leeds Reference Library.

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The Library The LIBRARY retains much of the character it possessed in the Colonel's lifetime. Built in the 1890s as the family dining room, it took on its present form during the 1930s with the extension of the New Dining Room to the east.

The walls are covered in a wool and flax damask which shows off the family portraits to advantage. Over the chimneypiece is the Portrait of Colonel Gascoigne by Herman Gustav Herkomer. It is flanked by paintings of his maternal and paternal grandfathers, Richard Oliver Gascoigne and Charles Trench. The bookcases were brought here from Parlington Hall early this century and the small glazed showcase houses Lady Gascoigne's collection of china and delftware cows.

The New Dining Room Beyond is the NEW DINING ROOM which, although designed in 1908, was not completed until 1931. Many of the original furnishings survive, particularly the horseshoe drinking table and Imperial dining table, part of a documented ensemble supplied by Gillows of Lancaster for the dining room at Parlington Hall in 1811. In the Colonel's day the dining chairs were of shieldback type, but these were replaced in the 1950s by Victorian Chippendale-style chairs (possibly made by Edwards & Roberts of London) from Lady Gascoigne's family home, Wentbridge House, Pontefract. Over the sideboard hangs Edward Hughes's Portrait of Mrs Gascoigne and her son Alvary, at their Scottish estate, Craignish.

The DINING ROOM CORRIDOR is hung with military and sporting prints from the Gascoigne collection. Also here in a corner of the BUTLER'S PANTRY can be seen jewellery, miniatures, silver and plate from the Temple Newsam and Lotherton collections.

Pets Corner Beyond in PETS' CORNER the late Lady Gascoigne chose to hang pictures of family and animals.

These include John Frederick Herring Snr's Galloping Horse and Portrait of a Deerhound, recently attributed to Sir Edwin Landseer. The Gascoignes were enthusiastic horse breeders and racers, and alongside the horse pictures can be seen some of the prize cups they won.

Upstairs at Lotherton Hall Upstairs Corridor

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Returning upstairs by the PRINCIPAL STAIRCASE, visitors catch a glimpse of the hall before passing along the UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR. Originally closed off by a maroon plush curtain, the corridor with its green walls and laundry cupboards gave access to the family apartments.

Mrs. Gasgoigne's Bathroom At the end is MRS GASCOIGNE'S BATHROOM, fitted up for her around 1913. It was remodelled in the 1950s for her son Sir Alvary and many of the fixtures date from this period.

The Storeroom THE STOREROOM, used to house trunks and surplus furniture, is next in sequence before LADY GASCOIGNE'S ROOM. Extended to its present size around 1931, this had been Mrs Gascoigne's room and gives panoramic views over the garden she created; it was later occupied by her daughterin-law. The room is now used to display furniture and paintings from the Leeds collections.

Sir Alvary's Room SIR ALVARY'S ROOM is furnished with the celebrated bedroom suite made for Sir Titus Salt by the progressive Leeds firm of Marsh & Jones in the 'old English' style of the 1860s. Salt was a noted industrialist and philanthropist who built the model mill town of Saltaire near Bradford. It adjoins the TRANSVAAL BEDROOM which has been refitted with a Burmantofts chimneypiece of the 1890s. Like many of Lotherton's bedrooms this was named after one of the Colonel's favourite colonies in South Africa.

The Rhodesia Bedroom The RHODESIA BEDROOM, used by Mrs Gascoigne at the end of her life, gives a good idea of the furniture chosen by the family to furnish their country home. The beds, which were supplied by Heals in 1903, are in the Sheraton revival style. The wardrobe and dressing table are also in a consciously historical style and may be by the London firm of Edwards & Roberts.

The Cape Bedroom Moving into the CAPE BEDROOM, visitors can see a spectacular papier-mache bedroom suite, acquired for the house by Leeds City Art Galleries. It is attributed to the firm of Jennens & Bettridge of Birmingham and is reputed to have been exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

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