3. Edward Armitage of Farnley Hall


In 1799 William Danby (1752-1833) decided to sell the Farnley estate. The Hall, surrounding parkland and mineral rights were purchased in December 1800 for £49,500 by James Armitage (1730-1803), a wealthy cloth merchant of Hunslet. His surviving son, Edward (1764-1829), inherited Farnley Hall and quickly set about remodelling the estate. In 1802 he added a stylish new south range to the building which incorporated a grand portico supported by Tuscan columns, a drawing room, dining room, entrance hall and billiard room plus a large conservatory. He made a new driveway and constructed a ‘ha-ha’ to stop livestock from entering the garden, while permitting uninterrupted views from the house; in 1810 he enclosed a large part of the park with a high stone wall.

Farnley-Hall-Sale-Plan

The Mansion with the handsome stone façade of 1806 which incorporated a large fashionable conservatory to the side of the main entrance. WYAS Leeds: WYL647/1/126


Like many wealthy gentlemen he was concerned about the plight of soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars. Edward employed local men to construct a new fish pond to the rear of the main building.


Farnley-Hall-Sale-Plan

Ground floor plan of Farnley Hall which retained the extensive Tudor cellarage beneath. On the first floor there were eleven bedrooms, two dressing rooms, servants’ accommodation and a bath room. WYAS Leeds: WYL647/1/126






Previous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Next