Home to County Durham.... What Joy

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Part IX

3rd June - Saturday

This morning we had grilled kippers for breakfast - Howard was not too impressed, the colonial heathen! Then we called in at Greggs the Baker for pease pudding and ham stotties - not keen on them either - what is the matter with the man?

Back along the Western Bypass and the Angel of the North again and down to Chester le Street to show Howard Lumley Castle, which is now an hotel. The family had treated Jeane and Harry to a night in the St James Suite and Linda wanted to show Howard.

Standing proud for more than 600 years, the magnificent spectacle of Lumley Castle dominates the County Durham landscape. Surrounded by stunning parklands overlooking the River Wear, it is a magnificent monument to a bygone age of chivalry and honour.

Fortunately there was a large wedding party checking out so we just wandered around looking at the various rooms and made ourselves at home. Unfortunately the bridal pair was still in the St James Suite so we were unable to see it but reception did offer to show us it if we were prepared to wait, which we weren’t.

Next stop was Durham. Here we had free entry to the cathedral unlike Chester!

The present cathedral has stood on this spot as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for over 900 years. It contains the remains of Cuthbert, the saintly seventh-century bishop of Lindisfarne; it also holds the tomb of Bede, the chronicler of Cuthbert's life and the first English historian. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in England (Bill Bryson called it 'the best Cathedral on planet earth'), and part of a World Heritage Site.

Durham Castle is the ancient palace of the Prince Bishops of Durham and lies at the northern end of Palace Green opposite the cathedral. It is situated on the site of a fortress built to the orders of William the Conqueror on his return from Scotland in 1072. Waltheof, the Saxon Earl of Northumberland undertook the work of building the castle for William but over the years a succession of Prince Bishops have added important sections to the great building.

The present castle is dominated by the keep which although the most imposing part of the castle is in fact the least historic. In the tradition of the Norman Motte and Bailey castles the keep is situated on a mound and was first erected in the fourteenth century during the episcopacy of Bishop Thomas Hatfield. Over the centuries the keep fell into a ruinous state but was rebuilt in the 1840s as a sleeping quarters for students when the castle became Durham’s University College.

It was Market Day in Durham so we went to the Market Place for a look around in the middle of which is the elecroplated-copper statue of the 3d Maquess of Londonderry. Unveiled on December 2nd 1861 it depicts the Marquess on horseback in grand hussar uniform. The 3rd marquess owned collieries in the vicinity of Durham but is principally famous as the builder of the Durham coal port of Seaham Harbour which he founded in 1828 as a rival to Sunderland. The Marquess of Londonderry’s full name was Charles William Vane Tempest Stewart. The sculptor of Londonderry’s statue was Signor Raphael Monti (1818-1881) who did not, as is often thought commit suicide following the discovery of a flaw in his creation by a blind beggar man. Legend has it that Monti boasted that no one could find fault with his statue until one day a blind man pointed out that the horse had no tongue by feeling inside its mouth. The legend - is a legend.

The sun was shining beautifully today and Durham was looking her best for Howard’s first visit. We had a walk over Elvet Bridge and watched the rowers on the River Wear before heading off to the centre of the universe - Darlington via the old A1 or Great North Road.

We came through the town from the north via North Road, the route of the original Great North Road (A1) from London to Edinburgh and past the North Road Shops that now house a railway museum.

The opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway on 27th September 1825 set up a model for railway systems worldwide signalled the start of the industrial revolution and changed the face of the world forever.
The development of the railway industry in Darlington included the creation of LNER (London and North Eastern Railway) workshops at North Road. In 1862/3 new locomotive shops were established at Hope Town, near present day Station Rd. In 1864, when the first residents were moving into their newly built houses in Westbrook, the first locomotive to be built in North Road Shops was the No 175 Contractor or 0-6-0.

In the seventeenth century Darlington became a popular place of residence for members of the Quaker faith, who formed an influential and wealthy community in the town by the 1800s. The best known member of this Darlington fraternity was Edward Pease, the man responsible for Darlington's fame as the 'Cradle of the Railways'.
It was Pease who rejected an early nineteenth century plan by local businessmen to build a canal for the shipment of coals from south Durham to the mouth of the Tees and made the innovative suggestion that steam locomotives be used instead. The suggestion was accepted.

George Stephenson, the famous engineer of Tyneside was employed by Pease to design the locomotives and develop the railway, though it was Pease who provided the financial support and he was very much in charge. On one occasion Stephenson had suggested an alternative route for the railway, which would have bypassed Darlington and altered the railway history books. Pease was clear with his reply; “George thou must think of Darlington; remember it was Darlington that sent for thee"

We managed to negotiate the one-way system and headed off to Neville Road where Linda grew up stopping to look at her Nan’s house (Olive White) in abbey Road. Neville Road looked smaller and the house had changed somewhat. We then went to Blackwell and saw the Dower House where Jeane White’s parents lived until 1959 and Blackwell Lodge where Linda lived until she was 6 years old.

The lady of the house was home when we knocked at the door of the Dower House and she was really interested to hear what Linda had to say about the house and we discussed renovations and changes. Mum will be interested to hear all about it. Before leaving town Howard had to see lots of important places in Darlington like schools attended, favourite pub, the shops on the High Row, office where her dad worked out of etc.

We did a quick detour to Croft on Tees, a small village where Linda and her sister were both christened and their parents were married. Next to the church is the Croft Spa Hotel where Linda and Di had several birthday parties and it was a favourite drinking hole for their parents and later, for them. We had a few drinks here and watched the antics of a bridal party who had come down from South Shields. Howard was so impressed with the urinals !
Next stop was our overnight stay in the village of Gainford about 8 miles from Darlington along the Tees Valley. Gainford is arguably the most attractive village in County Durham and has long been a popular place of retirement for residents of nearby Darlington. The origins of its name are disputed, though there is a legend that there was once a ford on the river and that the residents on either side of the Tees disputed the ownership of this ford. In the end a battle was fought in which the residents of the Durham side of the river gained the ford- hence Gainford. On the Yorkshire side of the river we find the site of the deserted village of Barforth or Barford. Its name is said to be a reminder of an attempt by its residents to barricade the ford during the battle with Gainford.

In the nineteenth century Gainford village had its own spa. Today its main features are an unspoilt village green - where Karen has her hairdressing salon, a Jacobean hall and an attractive Georgian street called High Row. The village church of St Mary's, Gainford is also of interest, it is on the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery built by Bishop Ecgred of Lindisfarne in the early 9th century and is said to be the resting place of a Northumbrian chieftain called Ida or Eda. In more recent times the church became famed in local folklore as the place where a vicar married a Pigg, christened a Lamb and buried a Hogg all in the same week!

We were to stay with Martin and Karen - Martin being Linda’s father’s godson. Martin was out in the back garden as the weather was so lovely. The garden was a picture and has wonderful; views over the surrounding countryside. Karen soon joined us and we had a drink to celebrate our arrival. We had not been there long when, to our surprise Sandra (Martin’s sister) and husband Paul arrived. They live near Leeds and we were not due to see them until later in our travels. Next to arrive were Denise (Martin’s other sister), husband Stewart and daughter Gemma, they also live in the village. Becky and Ryan Martin’s children came to see us, and Becky gave us all a sneak of her dress and shoes for the school prom - she looked a picture.

We had a wonderful meal out on the patio, Karen did us proud and it was just lovely seeing everyone after several years.

Total travelled today 70 miles (112 kms)

We travelled through Northumberland and County Durham. Saw the River Tyne, River Wear and River Tees, the main rivers of the northeast of England. We passed through Tony Blair’s (British Prime Minister) seat of Sedgefield.

4th June - Sunday

Up early and our first stop was at Raby Castle, one of the largest and most impressive of English medieval castles.


We did see the herds of deer roaming the surrounding parkland but did not linger as lots to see today and there was an archery competition in progress.


Built in the mid 14th century on the site of an earlier fortified manor house by the powerful Nevill family who owned it until the Rising of the North in 1569, Raby Castle has been the home of Lord Barnard's family since 1626.

Lord Barnard is the owner of the vast Raby Estate which extends over a large area of south Durham. Farmhouses and cottages belonging to this estate can be found throughout the northern side of Teesdale and are easily identified by their attractive whitewashed exteriors. Whitewashing goes back to the days when a Duke of Cleveland became stranded in a storm while out hunting in Teesdale. He was refused shelter at a local farmhouse, which he had mistaken for one of his own properties. The Duke was determined not to suffer such a humiliation ever again and ordered that from that day on, all buildings belonging to his estate were to be painted white for identification. Raby Castle is said to be haunted by three ghosts, they are the headless Henry Vane the Younger, Sir Charles Neville and the First lady Barnard, who is known as 'Old Hell Cat'

Onward to Barnard Castle, which is on the Durham side of the River Tees and the 'capital' of Teesdale. It is one of the most attractive and most historic towns in the North. Known affectionately to locals as 'Barney', the town owes its origins to one Bernard Baliol who built a castle here in the twelfth century. Bernard's family were of Norman origin and of high influence. His father Guy De Baliol was the Lord of Verney, Dampierre, Harcourt and Bailleul and Baron of Teesdale, Gainford, Stokesley and Bywell on the Tyne. Descendants of Bernard included Edward and John Baliol, kings of Scotland and John Baliol, founder of Balliol College, Oxford.

Today Bernard's Castle is a ruin, but a very pretty ruin situated on a high bank overlooking the Tees. The castle has witnessed plenty of history and has been a home to many famous historic characters, including Richard III, Henry VII, Warwick the Kingmaker, and the Prince Bishops of Durham. Horsemarket, Galgate, Bridgegate, Newgate and Thorngate are the main streets of Barney and are lined by beautiful stone built houses, which give Barnard Castle its typical 'Dales town' appearance. The term Gate was used by the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and later the Normans, but has nothing to do with a gateway. It is in fact an old word meaning road or street. The element 'gate' can be found in the street names of historic towns and cities throughout the North.

From here went to High Force on the River Tees, reputed to be the highest unbroken fall of water in England at 73feet (21m). We had to pay £1.00 each to the Raby Estate to walk through their woodland to the waterfall plus £1.50 to park the car!!!! There were several people about and the walk down to the falls was very pretty with some late bluebells in flower and High Force was giving a great display.

Back to Middleton in Teesdale which used to be the centre for lead mining in the area and across the moors to Richmond in North Yorkshire where we hoped to get some lunch. We tried in a few village pubs on the way but they were all full. Richmond was full of tour buses so we went to Reeth in Arkengarthdale and found a pub serving a great Sunday lunch with lots of Yorkshire pudding. Back along Swaledale (River Swale) and onto the A1 (Great North Road) south of Darlington at Leeming Bar. At Scotch Corner we took the Roman road (Dere Street) to Piercebridge and over the 16th century bridge (the Romans did build a bridge here but it was further upstream).

Then it was back to Gainford for dinner at Denise and Stewart’s home and overnight with Martin and Karen.

Total travelled 127 miles (203.2 kms)

We were in County Durham and North Yorkshire and were in the Yorkshire Dales National Park - Teesdale, Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.

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Photos

Lumley Castle Hotel
The lounge

Durham Market Place
The 3rd Marquess of Londonderry