Temple Of Piety On East Side Of Moon Pond

This is a garden building, completed by 1742, with plasterwork finished in 1748 and restored around 1980. It was designed by Robert Doe, with plasterwork executed by Cortèse for John Aislabie, likely based on a design from Lord Burlington. The building is constructed of ashlar and rendered brick, with a Westmorland slate roof and broad lead verges. It is a perfectly proportioned temple featuring a deep portico with six Doric columns set on a gritstone pavement, supporting an entablature and pediment with a pedestal. A central six-panel double door is set within an architrave, distinguished by a satyr mask on the keystone. Flanking the door are pairs of shuttered windows, each with its own architrave, and recessed panels above. The rear of the building has a grey brick casing, dating from a restoration prior to 1966. The left and right returns each feature a central four-panel door within an eared surround and a triple keystone.

Inside, the portico ceiling displays a Doric frieze of bucrania, alongside three richly detailed panels incorporating rose and leaf motifs. The inner room’s rear wall contains a circular framed bas relief depicting a captive soldier nursed by his daughter, flanked by gilded swags. The ceiling is richly decorated with a fretted frame enclosing an oval panel, featuring Chinese masks in the spandrel and a central scrolled motif. Originally dedicated to Jupiter, the design draws inspiration from Antonio Labaco’s reconstruction of a Roman temple. Lord Burlington, who served as Lord Lieutenant for the North and West Ridings from 1714, was the source for the original model; his deputy, John Aislabie, likely had close personal contact with Burlington, leading to his involvement in the temple’s design. William Aislabie rededicated the temple after his father’s death in 1742, at which time the plasterwork was added. A large bust of Jupiter was recorded above the fireplace in 1740 but is now lost; a fireplace remained into the 19th century. The building is the most significant element of the water garden, situated on earthen terraces and reflected in the Moon Pond, exhibiting a piano nobile style reminiscent of Chiswick House, also designed by Lord Burlington (1725).