Newby Hall

The manor of Newby was originally held by the lords of Topcliffe Castle. In St Columba's Church at Topcliffe are several monuments to the Robinson family of Newby and Rainton. After the death of Sir John Crosland in 1670, the Crosland family sold the manor of Newby in the 1690s to Sir Edward Blackett, an MP for the constituency of Ripon. He demolished the existing manor house and in 1697 built a new mansion, reputedly with the assistance of Sir Christopher Wren. In 1697, when visiting Newby, Celia Fiennes described it as "the finest house I saw in Yorkshire". Blackett was succeeded in 1718 by his son Edward, who, in turn, was succeeded by his nephew also called Edward, who in 1748 sold the…

The house is built of red brick with stone dressings, quoins, balustraded parapets, and grey slate roofs. The original building has three storeys and fronts of nine and five bays; the original central entrance has been converted into a window. The current entrance is from the east, this front has projecting wings of two storeys and seven bays. The added north dining room has two storeys and fronts of three and two bays. The main entrance has a porch with paired Ionic columns, an entablature, a cornice, and a carved blocking course. Most of the windows in the house are sashes.