Temple Newsam house, c.1699


The Temple Newsam Estate required a 3D reconstruction for its 'Work and Play' exhibition of April 2007. In discussion with Heritage Technology, it was decided that a 3D flythrough of the House and associated formal gardens would be a good compliment to the existing exhibition material that detailed the Estate in the late 17th/early 18th centuries. A 1699 sketch by Jan Kip provided the basis for the reconstruction, showing the house, formal gardens and surrounding deer park and estate buildings.

Bar a number of smaller alterations the House today is largely as it was in 1699, meaning its general structure and geometry could be obtained easily. However, the formal gardens and the majority of the estate buildings are no longer present, so an analysis of relative positions and dimensions was required before a model could be produced. The flythrough movie was completed for the exhibition opening in April 2007, while a more detailed model, based on further research, was produced in October 2007.

Historical Background

Temple Newsam is located to the East of Leeds, and was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Passing through Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Knights Templar hands, the property was obtained by Sir Philip Darcy in 1377 by Royal Decree. The House in its current form began between 1500-1520, when the Tudor 'Temple Newsam House' (sometimes described as 'the Hampton Court of the North') was constructed by the Darcys.

The estate then passed frequently between owners until 1622, when it was bought by Sir Arthur Ingram for £12,000. Ingram largely rebuilt the house, and employed Frenchman Peter Monjoye to create the formal gardens present in the 1622 Kip sketch. The house underwent further alteration during the 18th century, and in the 1760s 'Capability' Brown was commissioned to re-landscape the park, removing the formal gardens.

The House remained the property of the Ingram family until the early 20th century, when it eventually passed into the hands of Leeds City Council, its current owners.


A limited amount of evidence was available to produce the 3D model, so those dimensions and aspects of geometry that could not be ascertained by survey of existing buildings/landscapes features had to be gauged with respect to the Kip sketch of 1699. The sketch was produced at an oblique angle, making the calculations difficult due to the imprecise use of perspective - the sketches were, afterall, produced for artistic pleasure rather than accuracy.

Once the buildings and garden features were created as wireframe models, the landscape features - ponds, avenues, paths, etc - could be added. Texturing relied on the comparative study of buildings from similar periods and styles from the local area. Slate and brick (as opposed to tile and brick, as suggested by several tinted versions of Kip's sketch) were the most likely materials used.


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