Farnley Hall

Image: © Michael Woodhead Taken: 28 Mar 2007

Farnley Hall was built in Elizabethan times by the Danbys. They owned part of the manor and the hall until 1799, when it was sold to James Armitage. Sir Thomas Danby was first Mayor of Leeds, and Thomas Danby College in Leeds is named after him. The Hall was acquired by the Leeds City Council in 1945 and its grounds are now the public Farnley Hall Park. Part of the 16th-century house still exists, including a much-eroded Danby arms. The house was drastically rebuilt in the 18th century, when much of the earlier house was demolished and replaced with an architecturally dull building. In the early 19th century a classical front was added. The 18th-century church was by Carr, but it is not known which part of the house this was. Farnley Hall Park, the origins of which can be traced back to the Domesday Book, is a remnant of landscaped parkland, surrounded by pastoral fringe farmland and housing. In addition to its historical importance, the Hall and surrounding parkland provide a much valued diversity and interest in the landscape. Most of the area is contained within the old estate boundary wall, which remains remarkably intact. Outside the wall, the estate includes adjoining agricultural land. To the north east lies an area known as the "Fish Pond". Formal lawns and gardens lie within the ha-ha, containing a number of large, open grown trees and to the south west of the house, smaller ornamental trees and shrubs predominate, backing up to an internal boundary wall, providing a walled garden effect.

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