Stately home restoration shows life 'downstairs'

The behind-the-scenes workings of a 500-year-old stately home have been uncovered as part of restoration work at Temple Newsam House in Leeds.

The Butler's Pantry in the house has been opened to the public after being used as a museum workshop for more than 50 years.

Curator Adam Toole said the project had shed light on the staff who lived and worked in the servants' quarters.

"The working-class people who worked at Temple Newsam, and similar houses, don't make the history books so much. But all of their skill and labour was obviously absolutely crucial to building what we are able to enjoy today," he said.

The house was donated to Leeds City Council by its former owners, the Wood family, and the curators said they wanted to "reflect the lives of ordinary people" to visitors.

The renovation work uncovered a number of original features, including a traditional Yorkshire stone floor and a 19th Century fireplace hidden behind an old radiator.

As part of the room's restoration, paint samples were taken from the walls and analysed, after which a wallpaper expert recreated wood grained paper from tiny scraps found in the room, returning it to its 1890s aesthetic.

Mr Toole said: "The process of restoring the Butler's Pantry to its former condition has been a real labour of love that's given us such a fascinating insight into aspects of life at the house which are much less well-known."

The house's collection of antique British silverware has also been given centre stage in new showcases and in a refurbished plate safe, where it would have traditionally been stored before being polished and presented at banquets and occasions.

The collection includes a silver table decoration in the form of a Chinese pagoda, crafted by Thomas Pitts in 1759 and once owned by Paris socialite Daisy Fellowes.

As well as a silver Kirkleatham centrepiece, made in 1731 by silversmith Anne Tanqueray and her brother, David Willaume II.

The historic silver has been displayed alongside contemporary pieces by Japanese artists Junko Mori and Hiroshi Suzuki.

Mr Toole added: "The restoration has also provided the opportunity to re-display our internationally important silver collection in new cases, allowing it to be much better appreciated by our visitors.

"The Butler's Pantry was a perfect place to show those because this is where silver would have been stored historically, because the butler and the under butler and the footman would have cleaned silver in that room.

"A lot of stuff that was in store for many years is seeing life today for the first time in a long, long time. So we've not got a single piece of British silver left in store at Temple Newsam, which is wonderful."

The Butler's Pantry is now open to the public as part of the main route through the house.

The Tudor-Jacobean house and its grounds were gifted to the people of Leeds in 1922 by Edward Wood, the Earl of Halifax, who had inherited the estate from his aunt in the early 20th Century.

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