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.

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.

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