Parlington Hall
Encyclopedia
Aberford
Aberford is a large village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,059 according to the 2001 census...
near Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in the county of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was the birthplace of Isabella and Elizabeth Oliver Gascoigne
Oliver Gascoigne
The Oliver Gascoigne family originated at the point that Richard Oliver, originally of Castle Oliver, Limerick, Ireland, inherited the fortune of Sir Thomas Gascoigne of Parlington Hall, Yorkshire, in 1810. Sir Thomas made it a stipulation of his will that Richard add 'Gascoigne' to his name....
, who inherited the Gascoigne family fortune in 1843. These 2 deeply creative women immediately commissioned the building of schools, almshouses and churches in the region and made huge improvements to their estates and to the living conditions of their tenantry. The sisters personally fabricated spectacular stained glass windows for their various projects. One of these survives in the park at Parlington. Isabella's particular interest was wood-turning and she installed at least 3 lathes in her own workshop at Parlington, as well as writing an authoritative book on the subject.
In 1850, Isabella married Colonel Frederick Charles Trench of Woodlawn
Woodlawn, County Galway
Woodlawn, historically known as Mota and Moote , is a village in County Galway, Ireland, on the R359 regional road between the main road and rail networks which traverse east-west, 10 miles from Ballinasloe and approximately 30 miles from Galway City...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. In 1852, Elizabeth married Frederick's cousin Frederick Mason Trench, 2nd Baron Ashtown, head of the Trench family. Jointly the 2 sisters had already built the magnificent Castle Oliver
Castle Oliver
Castle Oliver is a Victorian mock castle in the south part of County Limerick, Ireland. Built for entertaining rather than for defense, it has a ballroom, drawing room, library, morning room, dining room and hall which feature hand-painted ceilings, decorated ornamental corbels, superbly executed...
on their father's estate in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland. Elizabeth and her husband lived at Castle Oliver
Castle Oliver
Castle Oliver is a Victorian mock castle in the south part of County Limerick, Ireland. Built for entertaining rather than for defense, it has a ballroom, drawing room, library, morning room, dining room and hall which feature hand-painted ceilings, decorated ornamental corbels, superbly executed...
while Isabella and her husband continued to reside at Parlington Hall, until her death in 1891.
Following the death of Isabella's husband in June 1905, Parlington was abandoned. Their son Col. Frederick Richard Thomas Trench-Gascoigne was already established at another nearby family residence, Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Hall is a country house near Aberford, West Yorkshire, England. It lies a short distance from the A1 motorway, 200 miles equidistant between London and Edinburgh....
to the east of Aberford
Aberford
Aberford is a large village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,059 according to the 2001 census...
, which he had inherited on the death of his Aunt Elizabeth. Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Hall is a country house near Aberford, West Yorkshire, England. It lies a short distance from the A1 motorway, 200 miles equidistant between London and Edinburgh....
survives and is now open to the public. It contains much Gascoigne memorabilia. It lies on the road towards Towton, the location of the bloody battle
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
1461.
After 1905, much of the contents and smaller architectural features of Parlington were transferred to Lotherton and Parlington was more or less abandoned. It was largely demolished in the 1950s and 1960s, leaving only the west wing standing. The estate has a number of interesting features: the Triumphal Arch, built around the end of the Eighteenth Century, which is unique in commemorating the victory of the American colonialists over the British in the American War of Independence. An inscription on both faces of the arch reads, "Liberty in N.America Triumphant MDCCLXXXIII"; a tunnel known locally as the "Dark Arch", which was built to shield the inhabitants of the hall from traffic passing along Parlington Lane, still intact almost two hundred years later; an underground icehouse, also intact — a testament to Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
brick construction.