Lartington Hall

Last updated

Lartington Hall
Lartington Hall from South East.jpg
Hall from the south east, showing from left to right c.1800 chapel, original 17th-century hall frontage, c.1800 east wing, and 1836 ballroom.
Durham UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within County Durham
General information
LocationCounty Durham
CountryEngland
Coordinates 54°33′18″N1°58′05″W / 54.555°N 1.968°W / 54.555; -1.968
Website
https://www.lartingtonhall.co.uk/

Lartington Hall is a 17th-century country house, at Lartington, Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Contents

Architecture

South front of the building, with the original 17th century frontage flanked by c.1800 additions Lartington Hall South Front.jpg
South front of the building, with the original 17th century frontage flanked by c.1800 additions

The earliest part of the house, built for the Appleby family, is the three-storey four-bayed central block and projecting three-storey porch, which dates from about 1635. The west wing and chapel dedicated to St Lawrence were added in about 1800, and an east wing in the early 19th century, to which was added a ballroom in 1836 possibly to a design by Ignatius Bonomi. A curved porte-cochère on the north side, and adjoining vestibule and corridor, were added in 1861-5 by Joseph Hansom.

History

The Roman Catholic family of Maire acquired the manor of Lartington by marriage in 1654. It passed to the Lawson family when Sir Henry Lawson Bt (d. 1834) of Brough Hall married Anna Anastasia, the Maire heiress. Their grandson Henry Thomas Maire Silvertop, who inherited the estate, married Eliza Witham and changed his surname to Witham. As Henry Witham he was High Sheriff of Durham in 1844.

When the Hall was Grade II* listed in 1986, the report added specifics, stating that in the 12th Century, the property had been owned by Robert de Lascelles. After several later sales, it was acquired in 1639 by "Francis Appleby and passed through marriage to the Maire family". The principal building "probably originated in the late C17, though there may have been an earlier building on the site". The report also indicates that additions were made in the late 18th century "including a chapel, and of the early C19, including a ballroom (formerly museum) of c 1836". [1]

Henry Witham's fourth son, the Right Reverend Monsignor Thomas Edward Witham, lived in the Hall from 1847 until his death. Witham had arranged to add a porte-cochere. In 1987, the property was inherited by his grandnephew Francis Silvertop of Minsteracres. This family sold it in 1910 and the new owner sold it again after WW I to a wealthy American, Norman Field. During WW II, the Hall was used by the Red Cross as a hospital for injured soldiers; Army tanks caused damage to the building and the grounds. Afterwards, the Field family again occupied it until 1973, and allowed it to deteriorate. The Hall then stood empty and neglected for some years, until it was purchased Robin Rackham. The most recent owners are Shona and John Harper-Wilkes. [2] [3]

A restoration project by Robin Rackham was completed with the assistance of the Historic Buildings Countil. It commenced in 1980, beginning with extensive works to the roof and moving on to the ballroom and corridor. [4]

The more extensive "restoration, modernisation and redecoration" by the Harper-Wilkes ran from 2011 until 2015. [5] In a 2013 interview, the couple said that the previous owners had "turned this chapel into a squash court" and the ballroom "into a recording studio for rock bands". [6]

The property was listed for sale in late August 2022; at the time, the listing indicated that it had been used as a wedding and events venue until recently. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnard Castle</span> Town and civil parish in County Durham, England

Barnard Castle is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automaton exhibit and paintings by Goya and El Greco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Castle</span> Norman castle in Durham, England

Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heritage Site in England, along with Durham Cathedral, the facility is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working building and is home to over 100 students. The castle stands on top of a hill above the River Wear on Durham's peninsula, opposite Durham Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raby Castle</span> Medieval castle in England

Raby Castle is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among 200 acres (810,000 m2) of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Edward IV and Richard III, was born here. After Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, led the failed Rising of the North in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1569 Raby Castle was taken into royal custody. Sir Henry Vane the Elder purchased Raby Castle in 1626 and neighbouring Barnard Castle from the Crown, and the Earls of Darlington and Dukes of Cleveland added a Gothic-style entrance hall and octagonal drawing room. From 1833 to 1891 they were the Dukes of Cleveland and they retain the title of Lord Barnard. Extensive alterations were carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is famed for both its size and its art, including works by old masters and portraits. After 1733 it was frequented from his young age of eleven by the poet Christopher Smart, who eloped briefly at the age of thirteen with Anne Vane, daughter of Henry Vane, who succeeded to the Barnard title. It is a Grade I listed building and open to the public on a seasonal basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lartington</span> Human settlement in England

Lartington is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3 km) west of the town of Barnard Castle, in Teesdale, in the Pennines of England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 135.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hylton Castle</span> Castle in Sunderland, UK

Hylton Castle is a stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century. The castle underwent major changes to its interior and exterior in the 18th century and it remained the principal seat of the Hylton family until the death of the last Baron in 1746. It was then Gothicised but neglected until 1812, when it was revitalised by a new owner. Standing empty again until the 1840s, it was briefly used as a school until it was purchased again in 1862. The site passed to a local coal company in the early 20th century and was taken over by the state in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appleby Magna</span> Human settlement in England

Appleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It includes the small hamlets of Appleby Parva and Little Wigston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliffe, Richmondshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Cliffe is a small village and civil parish in Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. A stream called the Glen runs through the village to the Tees. It is in the Teesdale and Yorkshire Dales national park. It is about 6 miles (10 km) west of Darlington, 10 miles (16 km) north of Richmond and near Piercebridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chavenage House</span> House in Tetbury, Gloucestershire

Chavenage House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire is a country house dating from the late 16th century. The house was built in 1576 and is constructed of Cotswold stone, with a Cotswold stone tiled roof. David Verey and Alan Brooks, in their Gloucestershire Pevsner, describe the house as "the ideal sixteenth-century Cotswold stone manor house". Chavenage is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles O. Boynton House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The Charles O. Boynton House is located in the DeKalb County, Illinois, city of Sycamore. The home is part of the Sycamore Historic District which was designated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1978. The Queen Anne style mansion sits on a stretch of Sycamore's Main Street that is dotted with other significant Historic District structures including, the Townsend House and the Townsend Garage. The Boynton House was designed by the same architect who designed the Ellwood House in nearby DeKalb and the David Syme House, another house in the Sycamore Historic District.

There have been six baronetcies created for persons with the surname of Lawson, two in the Baronetage of England and four in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two creations are extant as of 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseal</span> Human settlement in England

Overseal is a village and civil parish in South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Swadlincote, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and 13 miles (21 km) south-southwest of Derby. It had a population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,450. Situated within the National Forest area, it is near the villages of Netherseal and Lullington as well as being close to the border with Leicestershire. It is one of the southernmost settlements in Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsteracres</span> Monastery in Healey, Northumberland, UK

Minsteracres is an 18th-century mansion house, now a Christian retreat centre, in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishopwearmouth Cemetery</span>

Bishopwearmouth Cemetery is a cemetery in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It lies between Hylton Road and Chester Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankfield Museum</span> Textiles gallery, historic house museum and regimental museum in West Yorkshire, England

Bankfield Museum is a grade II listed historic house museum, incorporating a regimental museum and textiles gallery in Boothtown, Halifax, England. It is notable for its past ownership and development by Colonel Edward Akroyd, MP, and its grand interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Witham</span>

Henry Thomas Maire Witham FRSE FGS (1779–1844) was a British landowner remembered as an amateur palaeontologist and mineralogist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleorton Hall</span>

Coleorton Hall is a 19th-century country mansion, formerly the seat of the Beaumont baronets of Stoughton Grange. Situated at Coleorton, Leicestershire, it is a Grade II* listed building now converted into residential apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowe Hall</span> Historic site

Crowe Hall is a Georgian house in Widcombe, Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II listed building, and the gardens are on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvetham Hall</span> English country house in Hartley Wintney, England

Elvetham Hall is a hotel in Hampshire, England, in the parish of Hartley Wintney about 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Fleet. The building is a High Victorian Gothic Revival English country house and a Grade II* listed building. It stands in a landscaped park that is Grade II listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberlour House (building)</span> House in Scotland, UK

Aberlour House is a country house near Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. It was built in 1838 by William Robertson for Alexander Grant, planter and merchant from Aberlour, after his return to the UK. His niece, Margaret Macpherson Grant, lived in it after Grant died, and it was later home to John Ritchie Findlay of The Scotsman newspaper and his descendants. It was requisitioned for military use during the Second World War, and after the war was sold for use as a preparatory school for Gordonstoun. The school was later moved into Gordonstoun's estate, and the building was sold to Walkers Shortbread, who restored and renovated it, and now use it as their head office. It has been designated a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossrigg Hall</span> Grade II listed country house near Bolton, Cumbria

Crossrigg Hall is a country house in the civil parish of Bolton, Cumbria in the northern United Kingdom. It was built in 1864 by Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Rigg of the Indian Army's Madras Infantry. Designed by Anthony Salvin, and with later additions by J. H. Martindale, the hall is a Grade II* listed building.

References

  1. Historic England. "LARTINGTON HALL (1000731)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  2. "The eccentric widow of Lartington Hall who lived with her one-eyed parrot under an umbrella as the mansion crumbled around her". The Northern Echo. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. "A magnificent Grade II listed house near the Yorkshire Dales that has only had five owners since 1635". Country Life. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. "Seven Days in the Life of Robin Rackham" (PDF). Teesedale Mercury. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. "Lartington Hall in County Durham hits the market for £3.8m". The Northern Echo. September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. "Couple's labour of love restores hall to grandeur". Darlington and Storkton Times. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  7. "Lartington Hall". Savills. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2022.