Croxdale Hall

Croxdale Hall is a privately owned country mansion situated at Croxdale near Sunderland Bridge, County Durham. It is a Grade I listed building.[2]

Croxdale Hall, County Durham
The 12th century chapel at Croxdale Hall
Arms of Salvin of Croxdale Hall, Durham: Argent, on a chief sable two mullets or[1]

Ownership

The staunchly Roman Catholic Salvin family came to Croxdale by the marriage in 1402 of Gerard Salvin of Harswell, Yorkshire, to Agnes de Rissaby,[3] heiress of Croxdale. They have held the property ever since. Records of the Salvin family are held by Durham County Record Office.

History of the house

The house originally in Tudor style dates from the 17th century but major alterations in about 1760 were carried out probably to designs by architect John Carr, including the two storey seven bay west entrance front. The impressive internal Rococo plasterwork dates from this time.

A three-walled garden and lakes were laid out in the mid-18th century, creating a pleasure ground through which the family could demonstrate their wealth and status with the exotic plants they acquired through their gardener John Kennedy (1719-90) and his Hammersmith based nurseryman brother Lewis Kennedy (1721- 82) and his business partner James Lee (1715-95).[4] Historic England have raised concerns about the conditions of the gardens.[5]

Further alterations to the house by architect James Wyatt in about 1807 included the addition of a five bay south wing and the insertion of a Gothic Revival-style Roman Catholic chapel into the 18th century north wing.

A disused 12th-century chapel which stands in the grounds is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and also a Grade I listed building.[6] It was in use as a Chapel of Ease to St Oswalds, Elvet, until the new parish church of St Bartholomew was built by the Salvins in 1845. The chapel is on English Heritage's Buildings At Risk register and is deemed to be in poor condition, particularly due to severe damp.[7][8] Also in the grounds is an 18th-century house (Grade II* listed) which housed the priests who served as Chaplains to the Salvin family.[9]

Twentieth and Twenty First Century

The house served as a military hospital 1940-1945 and thereafter as a maternity home until at least 1954. More recently the Hall has been restored as a family home.

The house is open the public only by appointment (see the Visit North East England reference for details).

References
  1. Burke's Landed Gentry, 1937, pp.1979-1980, Salvin of Croxdale, ASIN: B0013HVTFY
  2. Historic England. "CROXDALE HALL, Croxdale and Hett (1159140)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. Surtees, Robert. The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham.
  4. Howard, Clare. "Croxdale Hall, County Durham: An Assessment of the Walled Garden Historic England Research Report 37/2016". research.historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  5. "Croxdale Hall, Croxdale and Hett - County Durham (UA) | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  6. Historic England. "CHURCH 50 METRES NORTH EAST OF CROXDALE HALL, Croxdale and Hett (1120740)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  7. "English Heritage | English Heritage". Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved Oct 28, 2020.
  8. "Church, 50 metres north east of Croxdale Hall, Croxdale Hall, Croxdale and Hett - County Durham (UA) | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  9. Historic England. "PRIESTS HOUSE 90 METRES EAST OF CROXDALE HALL, Croxdale and Hett (1120739)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2020-04-30.

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