was carved by soldiers housed at the hospital as a form of occupational therapy. Lotherton Hall Gardens The gardens at Lotherton were designed by Mrs Gascoigne (Laura Gwendolen Gascoigne ) in the early 20th century before the First World War. Mrs Gascoigne was a notable gardener and had famous gardening friends of the time. The gardens are a collection of several features, each with their own characters to complement the different styles of the rooms in the house. At the far end of the house there is a statue of Sho Haku, the peony priest. He was a Japanese holy man known for his love of peony flowers. Wildlife The bird gardens were opened in 1980; originally it was the site for the old kitchen gardens and greenhouses north of the walled gardens. In 1984 they were expanded and have developed into a major attraction, consisting of over two hundred species of birds, from six different continents around the world. In 2003 a walk-through aviary called 'Into Africa' was introduced, within it is a mix of African species. In 2005 the bird Gardens celebrated its 25th anniversary with two more developments. The deer park was created in the early 1980s; a herd of deer were moved over to Lotherton from Temple Newsam estate. Later on a herd of red deer were introduced to the estate and are the only breed of deer still present on the estate. Statistics In 2018 Lotherton attracted 453,335 visitors, making it the second most visited paid attraction in Yorkshire and Humber. Furthermore, when Lotherton Hall introduced its Christmas Experience between 25 November and 23 December 2016, 64,743 people attended the event, which was a large increase in number compared to 2015 when only 8,920 people attended the event in the same period. This also led to 494 new memberships to Lotherton compared to 236 in 2015 and generated £282,613 for the estate. The festive event included a twelve days of Christmas walk around the woods and garden, an elf village with Santa's Grotto. As of 2019 a new skating rink was introduced. References External links Lotherton Parlington Hall Lord Ashtown Buildings and structures in Leeds Tourist attractions in Leeds Fashion museums in the United Kingdom Historic house museums in West Yorkshire Gardens in West Yorkshire Museums in Leeds