Old Durham Gardens

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Old Durham Gardens is a public park in

Old Durham Old Durham is a hamlet in County Durham, in England. It is situated approximately 1 mile east of central Durham and south of Gilesgate. The most northerly remains of a Romanised farmstead in the Roman Empire were excavated at Old Durham d ...

, 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 ...

, England. It dates from the 17th century, and it is listed Grade II in Historic England's

Register of Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England {{R from move ...

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History

The estate, first mentioned in the 12th century, was appropriated by

Robert Neville Robert Neville may refer to: * Robert Neville (bishop) (1404–1457), English bishop * Robert Neville (journalist) (1905–1970), American war correspondent * Robert Neville (Royal Marines officer) (1896–1987), Royal Marines officer and Governor ...

, Bishop of Durham, in 1443, and given to

Kepier Hospital Kepier Hospital (properly the Hospital of St Giles of Kepier) was a medieval hospital at Kepier, Durham, England. Founding at Gilesgate The hospital was founded at Gilesgate, Durham, by Bishop Flambard as an almshouse "for the keeping of t ...

. It was sold during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and bought in 1569 by John Heath I. The gardens are thought to have been laid out by his descendant John Heath IV between 1630 and his death in 1665, when it passed to his daughter Elizabeth and her husband John Tempest."History"
''Friends of Old Durham Gardens''. Retrieved 19 January 2025. The Tempests moved away in 1719, but remained owners of the estate, and continued to use the gardens. They were renovated between 1725 and 1735. The mansion of the estate was demolished before 1776. In 1787

William Hutchinson William, Willie, Willy, Billy or Bill Hutchinson may refer to: Politics and law * Asa Hutchinson (born 1950), full name William Asa Hutchinson, 46th governor of Arkansas * William Hutchinson (Rhode Island judge) (1586–1641), merchant, judge, ...

described the gardens as a place of public recreation, where concerts were held on summer evenings. The visitors were served by the Pineapple Inn, there by the 1820s at the northern edge of the gardens. The gardens were inherited by Henry Vane-Tempest in 1794. His descendant

Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, (13 May 1878 – 10 February 1949), styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was a British peer and politician. He is best remember ...

sold the gardens and the Pineapple Inn in 1918 to Victor Mazzini Walton, an artist and ice cream maker, and the gardens remained a pleasure ground, with features including tennis courts and a putting green. Walton sold the gardens and Pineapple Inn in 1949; the inn became a private residence, and the gardens became derelict. In 1985 the gardens were sold to Durham City Council; they were restored, and replanted according to the historic layout. In 1998 they were given listed status, Grade II, in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. To retain the condition of the gardens, the Friends of Old Durham Gardens, a Registered Charity, was established in 2010.

Description

The gardens, area about , are a short distance east of the

River Wear The River Wear (, ) in Northern England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers. The Wear wends in a steep valley t ...

. The lower garden, to the west, is part flat, sloping steeply in the east towards the

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

and the upper part of the gardens. Steps lead from the lower gardens to the gazebo, which dates from the early 17th century and was remodelled in the early 18th century; this and the adjoining wall at the boundary of the upper garden are Grade II-listed buildings.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline Gardens in County Durham Grade II listed parks and gardens