A 1779 engraving of the house from "Angus's Views of Seats." By kind permission of a private collection.
The house from "Morris's Views of Seats," circa 1875.
The house from a 19th century engraving
The south facade of the house from an early 20th century postcard
The Upper Lake, the fort, and Folly Castle from a 1780 engraving. From "Angus's Views of Seats." By kind permission of a private collection.
Portrait of Lord Byron from a 1913 engraving
House & Family History: The house was originally an Augustinian monastic priory founded by Henry II circa 1170. Sir John Byron purchased Newstead in 1540 for £810 (approximately £5 million in 2016 inflation adjusted values using the labour value commodity index) from Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries; the Byron family remained here for the next 250 years. The famous poet Lord Byron inherited the estate in 1798 and sold it in 1817 for £94,000 (approximately £71 million in 2016 values). In 1931 Newstead Abbey was purchased by the philanthropist Sir Julien Cahn, who donated it to the City of Nottingham the same year.
Garden & Outbuildings: In 1749 the 5th Lord Byron built a sham castle on a hill above the lake and a battery on the shore of the lake below the castle. The castle was more than just a folly—it served as a banqueting house (the basement probably contained a small kitchen) with a Gothic style room with a coved ceiling. The castle was demolished in 1921, though the Grade II*-listed battery, today called the Cannon Fort, survives. The house is today set in grounds of over 300 acres.
Architect: John Shaw Sr.
Date: 1819John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. I, p. 94, 1852.
Country Life: XLII, 468, 1917. CLV, 1122, 1190 plan, 1974.
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Grade II*
Past Seat / Home of: Sir John Byron of Colwick, until 1623; John Byron, 1st Baron Byron, until 1652; Richard Byron, 2nd Baron Byron, 1652-79; William Byron, 3rd Baron Byron, 1679-95; William Byron, 4th Baron Byron, 1695-1736; William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, 1736-98; George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, 1808-14; Byron family here from 1540 until 1817. Thomas Wildman, 1818-61. Webb family, 1861-1931.
Current Ownership Type: Government
Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction
Ownership Details: Owned by the City of Nottingham since 1931.
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01158-763-100
Fax: 01623-455-904
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://newsteadabbey.org.uk/
Historic Houses Member: No