Temple Newsam House, near Leeds

Temple Newsam is a Jacobean house near Leeds.

By the time Henry 7th Viscount Irwin (1691-1761) inherited the house on 26 May 1736, it had fallen into disrepair. Indeed, the Inventory of 1702 describes the sole contents of the Jacobean Gallery as “one parcell of Rape seed”, and by 1738 the brickwork of the middle window had become unstitched. During the next seven years major internal remodelling took place under the direction of the architect Daniel Garrett.

Work in the Picture Gallery had begun by 1740, for the mason Robert Doe is recorded as having spent six weeks in the early months of that year, erecting the chimneypieces. The plasterwork was carried out by Thomas Perritt (1710-59) of York, and his apprentice Joseph Rose, senior (1723-80) – uncle of the more famous Joseph Rose, junior (1745-99). The door cases were carved by Richard Fisher, also of York.

The plaster ceiling, 108 x 29 feet, is formed of five main panels, an oval, two rectangles and two octagons, and contains thirteen medallions that have been identified by Jacob Simon as being of George II and his family, with the addition of his father George I. The final account for this work was submitted on 19 March 1745.

I was commissioned to carry out the paint analysis of the Picture Gallery.

Here I am measuring the colour of the lower wall with a spectrophotometer in order to record the old scheme prior to redecoration.

Temple Newsam – Picture Gallery (as restored)

Another view of the restored Picture Gallery

The flock wallpaper was made following my finding of a fragment of green flock stuck on the primer on one of the overmantels.