North East Crook Hall and Gardens, Durham

Some background and about the house....

Crook Hall is hidden away among the trees lining the banks of the River Wear, just a few minutes walk from Durham Market Place. It is very secluded and if it wasn’t for the traffic noise and the occasional train passing, it could be miles away from civilisation.

The house is a rare reflection of how a building has grown and been extended over the centuries.

The oldest part of the house dates from the early C14th and may have replaced an earlier building. It was built by Peter Del Croke (who has given his name to the building). The house then passed into the ownership of the Billingham Family who were employed by the Bishops of Durham at various times.

The house was sold in 1667 to Christopher Mickleton. His son James and his wife Frances built the Jacobean Manor House next to it. In 1736, the house belonged to the Upper family from Shincliffe and they were responsible for adding the tall Georgian wing.

In 1995, the property was bought by Keith and Maggie Bell who progressively opened the house and gardens to the public. The afternoon teas in the garden were an immediate success and it also became a popular wedding venue. Covid hit in 2020 and the business went into liquidation and the Bells put the property on the market. There was a lot of concern locally that the property would be bought by a private buyer and no longer open to the public.

In 2022 the National Trust reported they had bought the property. The gardens have reopened along with the Medieval Hall and one room in the Jacobean part of the house. They are planning to reopen more of the Jacobean rooms.

The main reason to visit is for the gardens and there are tantalising glimpses of the house from them.

The house is entered from the gardens into the screen passage which separated the medieval hall from the Jocobean part. The round window above the doorwould have let in extra light.

The passage leads through into the gardens beyond and one of the best views of the Medieval hall is from there.

The Medieval Hall is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Durham. It was the heart of the house where the family ate, drank, slept. It would originally have had an open hearth in the centre of the hall, but this was later replaced by fireplaces in the C16th. The screens passage separated the hall from the now long demolished working areas beyond. The Minstrels gallery was above it. The alcove at the end would have lead into the solar, now long demolished and part of the gardens. Apparently, this is one of the places visitors may feel the presence of a ghost....

In the C19th the hall was used as a beer bottling plant and the metal hooks in the beams were probably used to support machinery.

Beyond the Minstrels Gallery is a small empty room, awaiting decision as to what the NT want to do with it...

To the other side of the Screens Passage is the Jacobean Room, which is now the second hand bookshop. This has a beamed ceiling and a raised dais at one end with a stone staircase added when the house was restored.

The Georgian part of the house is not open. This was a large tall brick building.

At the back, an archway next to the pig sty led into a small courtyard at the back of the house.

cont...

 

[Eleanor]

Crook Hall Gardens

The gardens climb up the hillside from the river. Facing south, plants flourish here in the black fertile soil. A series of small almost secret gardens flow into each other. Each is very different and they all work together to complement the whole. Looking at the wild, almost jungle like vegetation along the rest of the river banks makes you realise what a labour of love it must have been to establish and maintain the gardens.

Entry is off Frankland Lane and the cafe is here. The area above this used to be a wild flower meadow, but is now planted with a maze.

A gateway leads through into the garden with brick laid paths leading to the different areas.

Ahead is the wooded glade, a small secret garden, surrounded by trees.

Beyond is the walled garden entered through a wooden gate set in the wall. This is thought to date from when the Medieval hall was built.

A gravel path runs round the inside of the wall with flower borders. At the centre is a lawned area.

Beyond the walled garden is the small Georgian Garden which was a formal C18th garden

Turning right from the entrance, and behind a hedge is the Cathedral garden with a view of the Cathedral. It is a large rather uninspiring garden with a large grassed area with a few flower beds.

Unfortunately, the lovely topiary box trees there in 2016, and representing ‘monks’ have been removed.

This leads through into the Shakespeare garden which is divided into four by low clipped yew hedges and has a small pergola at the centre. It is planted with typical C16th plants.

A gate in the hedge leads through into the orchard planted with old varieties of apples, plums, greengage and a cherry tree.

Through a gap in the hedge is the silver and white garden which was planted by previous owners to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.

This leads out into the top of the garden with the Moat Pond, surrounded by trees with a small wooden bridge and small waterfall into a smaller pond, which is now getting overgrown. This was originally a dry defensive ditch built in the C14th, and was turned into a lake by the previous owners.

Below the moat pond, the garden drops down through the woodland glade with a gazebo that was used by the previous owners for cream teas in the garden.

Off this is the small vegetable garden growing a mixture of flowers and vegetables.

Beyond is the small, newly planted wellness garden with flowers and healing herbs.

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