Nostell Priory: The fine Palladian mansion home to a treasure trove of Chippendale furniture
This fine Palladian mansion on the south-east side of Wakefield sits in 300 acres of parkland.
It occupies the site of a 12th century Augustinian priory dedicated to St Oswald, from where monks are thought to have travelled to Scotland and founded Scone Abbey in Perthshire.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the priory and its land were acquired by Sir Thomas Gargrave, a High Sheriff of Yorkshire and Speaker of the House of Commons.
After a succession of further owners the estate was bought by Sir Rowland Winn, a London textile merchant.
In 1733 he commissioned the noted architect James Paine to design a new home. Paine’s other work in the north included the grand stables at Chatsworth House and the Mansion House in Doncaster.
The British neoclassical architect Robert Adam was asked to design additional wings, although only one - the north wing - was built.
He was also responsible for the staterooms, a double staircase at the front, and the stable block.
Significantly, the Winns commissioned over 100 items of furniture from the Otley-born master cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, including the now-famous library table and chairs which were delivered to Nostell in the 1760s and 1770s.
During this period they purchase numerous works of art, many of which are still there.
Nostell remained in the Winn family until the early 1950s when, because of taxation issues, it was opened to the public under the management of trustees and the National Trust.
Ownership was formally given to the Trust in 1984 in lieu of inheritance tax with most of the contents - including the famous Chippendale items - transferred two years later.
Today, Nostell Priory is a major visitor attraction, not least as a treasure house of Chippendale furniture.
The grounds include a picturesque lake, menagerie garden and trails for walking and cycling.