Sockburn Hall is a privately owned 19th-century country house at
Sockburn
Sockburn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Neasham, in the Darlington district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It is situated at the apex of a meander of the River Tees, to the south of Darlington, known l ...
, near
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
,
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
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
As at 2008, both the Hall and adjoining Grade II coach house were listed by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
on the
Buildings at Risk Register, as was the adjacent ruined Grade I
Church of All Saints.
History
The Manor of Sockburn was for many years in antiquity the home of the
Conyers family, known, inter alia, for the legend of the
Sockburn Worm
In the folklore of Northumbria, the Sockburn Worm was a ferocious wyvern that laid waste to the village of Sockburn in Durham, England, Durham. It was said that the beast was finally slain by John Conyers. The tale is said to be the inspiration f ...
. In the late 17th century the estate was purchased by the
Blackett family.
The present house was built to replace the old manor for the occupation of Henry Collingwood Blackett (third son of
Sir William Blackett, 5th Baronet
There have been two baronetcies created for members of the Blackett family, both in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2013. The Blackett family can be traced back to the Blacketts/Blakheveds of Woodcroft, County Durham, some ...
) in about 1834 in a neo
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James VI and I, with whose reign (1603–1625 in England) it is associated. At the start of James's reign, the ...
, with three bays, two storeys and attics above and shaped gables. Following the death of Blackett's widow in 1877 the house was let out. It deteriorated during the 20th century and in recent times the current owners have begun a restoration project.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Sockburn Hall Project Heritage Gateway, listed building description English Heritage Buildings at Risk reportEnglish Heritage Archaeological Investigation at Sockburn
{{Authority control
Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham
Country houses in County Durham
Structures on the Heritage at Risk register