 Belsay Hall
It is known that the Middleton family owned land here since the 1270s,
and the ruinous 14th century castle still standing within the grounds
was their former residence. The castle appears to have been built as
much for a display of grandeur as for defensive purposes, as the tower demonstrates
very well being both decorative and battlemented. Several additions and
alterations were made to the castle over 350 years of Middleton occupation,
and it was still in a fairly respectable condition, apart from the west
wing, until the middle of the 20th century.
On inheriting the Belsay estate, Sir Charles (who took the name of Monck from his maternal grandfather)
re-developed the whole area, creating an entire new village built to his
own designs, and constructing a new Hall for him and his new wife to live
at. Successive generations of the family lived at Belsay Hall until 1962,
but by the 1980s it had come under the care of English Heritage. Constructed
of stone excavated from his own grounds, Belsay quarry was turned into
a romantic rock garden which, over 150 years on, looks absolutely fabulous.
A footpath through this craggy passage now takes the visitor from Belsay
Hall to the old castle ruins.
Externally, the Hall seems to be complete, but a more accurate description might be an 'empty,
ruined shell'. The square, rather austere building of sandstone is curiously
fronted by two huge, Greek columns incorporated in a portico. Apart
from the magnificent neo-classical theme which is continued inside,
the house has been left virtually untouched and unfurnished. Recent
excavations have been carried out below the floors of some of the smaller
rooms at the back of Belsay Hall to reveal foundations of an earlier
building, but little is known of this structure. Upstairs, all the rooms, except
the principal bedroom, have the same original friezes and similar white,
marble chimneypieces, but the wallpapers that exist are of a late 19th
century design.
No exquisite furniture, fine art or family collections can be seen at Belsay Hall, but the unique style
and architecture of the house, together with the delightful castle ruins
'at the bottom of the garden', certainly make for an interesting exploration
of this ancestral home. The grounds are such a delight, and it is not
difficult to understand why they are Grade I listed.
Having driven through some
of the wild and scenic countryside of Northumberland, it was quite a surprise
to find this extraordinarily Greek influenced building, where once stood
a traditional castle for the family residence. |
