Hardwick Hall Country Park is a park located in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

near

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 4,986 in the 2021 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. Etymology The name ''Sedgefield'' is of Old English origin. It ...

. Since 7 October 1986, it has been registered on the Register of Parks and Gardens as a Grade II* listed site, which indicates that a park is "of exceptional historic interest."

History

In medieval times, the lands which now comprise the park abutted the manor of Herdwyck. The 18th century saw dramatic change: a new hall was built, and a new owner—a wealthy businessman from Tyneside named John Burdon—began to develop the grounds. Burdon enhanced the ornamental lake on the south side of the hall by adding an artificial river leading to it and encircling it with a walkway. In all, he laid out of additional ornamental features, including

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

es and

follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...

designed primarily by London architect James Paine. Although the grounds and buildings were not subsequently well maintained, the garden retains Paine's basic structure and is an unusual example of authentic 18th-century landscape design.

Durham County Council Durham County Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of County Durham (district), County Durham in North East England. The council is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, bein ...

had already begun to acquire parts of the grounds when in 1997 it determined to undertake the preservation of the whole park. A study commissioned in 1999 provided a detailed estimate of the expenses of restoration and also indicated the property's significance, leading the Register of Parks and Gardens to give it a II* rating. With assistance from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, the County purchased more of the grounds in 2001 and launched a restoration scheme to bring it all back to its former condition. The park now includes a visitor centre, café, toilets, exhibition, classroom and office.

Hardwick Hall Hardwick Hall is an architecturally significant Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan-era country house in Derbyshire, England. A leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, the Renaissance architecture, Renaissance style home was bu ...

was also the site of a one-day music event, ''Hardwick Live'', until 2015. ''Hardwick Live'' was replaced by a larger two-day event, ''Down To The Woods'', in 2016. The new festival, which had been set to feature headline sets from

Catfish and the Bottlemen Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band formed in Llandudno, Conwy, Wales, in 2007. The band currently consists of Van McCann (lead vocals, guitars) and Benji Blakeway (bass guitar, backing vocals). Their debut album, '' The Bal ...

and

Chase and Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in ...

, was later cancelled due to the "financial climate".

Gallery

File:Hardwick Hall Country Park P3240040.JPG File:Hardwick Hall Country Park P3290116.JPG File:Hardwick Hall Country Park P3290121.JPG File:Hardwick Hall Country Park P3290124.JPG

References

External links

Hardwick Park
Durham County Council. {{Coord, 54.6559, -1.4677, display=title, type:landmark_region:GB Country parks in County Durham Sedgefield Grade II* listed parks and gardens in County Durham