Farnley Hall

The house was built in the 1780s by John Carr[?] who also designed Harewood House. The property was owned by Thomas Fawkes, and a regular visitor was the Victorian artist and philosopher John Ruskin who was taken with the enormous collection of paintings by J.M.W. Turner, a friend of the owner.

This is Farnley Hall near Otley, not the Farnley Hall to the south of Leeds. Part of the manor and the hall was in the ownership of the Danby's from the late middle ages until 1800 when it passed to the Armitages.

The Fawkes are associated with Farnley, Otley and this Farnley Hall has associations with Ruskin and Turner. To my knowledge neither Ruskin nor Turner had anything to do with the Armitages of Farnley, Leeds.

Part of the 16th century house, built by the Danbys still exists at Farnley, Leeds, including a much eroded Danby arms. The house was drastically rebuilt in the 18th century, when much of the 16th century house was demolished and replaced with an architecturally dull building. In the early 19th century a classical front was added. The 18th church was by Carr, but I didn't know if this part of the house was.

There are the fairly intact remains of parkland at Farnley - although the current layout is early 19th century, 16th and 17th century maps show a deer park and the 1985 W Yorks Archaeological Survey says that the boundaries of the medieval deer park can be traced on the ground. However, unclear where these earthworks or ditches may be