Lambton Castle stands above
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555.
The town's history is ancient; ...
,
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 ...
and is a
stately home
300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...
, the ancestral seat of the Lambton family, the
Earls of Durham. It is listed in the mid-category of
listed building, Grade II*.
History
Largely constructed as it is between 1820 and 1828 by
John Lambton, first
Earl of Durham
Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Ref ...
and one-time
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
, it was built around Harraton Hall, a 17th-century mansion. The castle was designed by
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s
Joseph Bonomi the Elder
Joseph Bonomi the Elder (19 January 17399 March 1808) was an Italian architect and technical drawing, draughtsman who spent most of his career in England where he became a successful designer of country houses. Bonomi was Robert Adam’s leading ...
and his son
Ignatius Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
Religious
* Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop
* Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople, Ignati ...
and built in the style of a
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
castle, as was the fashion of the time.
Later additions to the house built by
Sydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke (20 December 1797 – 8 December 1877) was a British architect.
Smirke who was born in London, England as the fifth son of painter Robert Smirke and his wife, Elizabeth Russell. He was the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke ...
in 1862–65, including the great hall, were largely demolished in 1932.
[ The structure had suffered from subsidence. In the 1930s the family moved to the smaller ]Biddick Hall
Biddick Hall is an area in the town of South Shields, in Tyne and Wear, England.
Biddick Hall is known for its infant and junior school as well as its conveniences and shops. Biddick Hall is a medium-size council estate in the borough of South T ...
on the estate.
The park that surrounds the castle is bordered by a high wall. The family keep going its annual pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...
shoot. The grounds from 1972 until 1980 accommodated a venture which closed, Lambton Lion Park.
Later the family have sold Biddick Woods enabling a link road from the A182 to the A690 in Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear, England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county.
It lies betw ...
and new business units.
In 2012, the castle was the setting of the BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
drama '' The Paradise''.
On 30 December 2015 plans for the estate's development were submitted to the local planning authority to help fund park upkeep and conservation, with a vision to turn the castle into a wedding venue, boutique hotel or both, aiming to spend £26 million to £28.5 million on building and labour. The plans were submitted by the Trustees of Lord Durham’s 1989 Voluntary Settlement, which manages the estate on behalf of the family.
See also
*Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 105 ...
*List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a list ...
References
External links
Lambton Castle website English Heritage: architectural description of listed building
{{CastlesCDT&W
Castles in County Durham
Country houses in County Durham
Gothic Revival architecture in County Durham
Mock castles in England
*
Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham