7. The Sale of 1875
By 1867 no member of the Armitage family wished to live at Farnley Hall. Great efforts were made to find a suitable tenant, but to no avail. On Wednesday, 30 June 1875, Farnley Hall and the adjoining parkland were put up for sale by auction at Messrs Hardwick, Best and Young’s premises on Park Row, Leeds. The sale particulars stated ‘The Mansion….has a handsome stone façade, looking south, and commanding extensive views, is approached on the south by a long and well-laid-out carriage drive, with belts of timber and ornamental shrubs and double Entrance Lodges of stone.’
Farnley Hall 1875 Sale Plan
The Hall was purchased by Albert Henry Pawson (1850-1935), a local man, and successful cloth manufacturer at Stonebridge Mill. He lived nearby in Lawns House and blamed the Armitage family for the environmental destruction of Farnley. He wished to ensure that there was no more development near his property. He let the Hall to John Helliwell, a cloth manufacturer, who lived there with his wife, Elizabeth and their seven children. In 1898 Pawson sold it back to the Armitage family through their business, the Farnley Iron Company.
Farnley Hall and plan of the grounds in 1875. West Yorkshire Archive Service
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