Lambton Castle
| Lambton Castle | |
|
County Durham | |
|---|---|
 Lambton Castle in the late 19th century | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ298526 |
| Location: | 54°52’1"N, 1°32’10"W |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Earl of Durham |
| Website: | lambtoncastle.co.uk |
Lambton Castle stands in the midst of the green acres of Lambton Estate, to the north of Bournmoor, between Chester-le-Street and Washington, in County Durham. It is a stately home, and the ancestral seat of the Lambton family, the Earls of Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
History
The castle is a late Georgian conceit in its form: far from being an ancient fortress, it was constructed in its present form between 1820 and 1828 by John Lambton, first Earl of Durham and one-time Governor General of Canada. The castle was built around the existing Harraton Hall, a 17th-century mansion.
Lambton's new castle was designed by architects Joseph Bonomi the Elder and his son Ignatius and built in the style of a Norman castle, as was the fashion of the time.[2]
In 1862–65, Sydney Smirke built substantial additions to the house, including a great hall, which can be seen on the right-hand side of a photograph of 1929, but these additions were largely demolished in 1932, and the crenellated towers on the end of the entrance portico were rebuilt to suit the narrower façade..[2] In the 1930s the family moved to the smaller Biddick Hall on the estate.[3]
Park
The park that surrounds the castle is bordered by a high wall and is still used for an annual pheasant shoot. For a time in the 1970s, the castle's grounds were also home to Lambton Lion Park, opened in 1972 and closed in 1980.[4]
Latterly the Lambton family have sold the Biddick Woods, which now includes the link road from the A182 to the A690 in Houghton le Spring and new business units.
On 30 December 2015 plans for the development of the Lambton Estate were submitted to the local planning authority for approval: the plans would help fund the conservation of the park, with potential to turn the Lambton Castle into a wedding venue, boutique hotel or both, with between £26million and £28.5million needed to fund the work. The plans were submitted by the Trustees of Lord Durham’s 1989 Voluntary Settlement, which manages the estate on behalf of the Lambton family.[5]
On television
In 2012, Lambton Castle was the setting of the BBC One drama The Paradise.[6]
Outside links
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1001438: Lambton Castle
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lambton Castle - British Listed Buildings
- ↑ Lambton Estate – Durham Council planning, July 2012
- ↑ "Lambton Estate near Chester-le-Street may open for tourists". The Northern Echo. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/newsediting/9441832.Lambton_Estate_near_Chester_le_Street_may_open_for_tourists/?ref=rss. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ↑ "£28.5million rescue mission for historic Lambton estate – including new homes and jobs". http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/28-5million-rescue-mission-for-historic-lambton-estate-including-new-homes-and-jobs-1-7647610#ixzz3zwTwOaD2. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ↑ King, Hannah (25 September 2012). "The Paradise: Bringing the set to life". tv blog. bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2012/09/the-paradise-set.shtml.