REPORT ON THE JUNE 2008 MEETING

Antiques Roadshow

The speaker at the June meeting of the Alston Moor Historical Society was Geoffrey Hughes and his subject, Wallington Hall and the Trevelyans, was particularly appropriate as the Hall will be the venue of the Society's annual outing in July. Mr Hughes is a National Trust volunteer and has been associated with Wallington, now managed by the Trust, for many years.

The Hall is a 17 th century country house in the grand Palladian style, originally built in1688, although there have been many subsequent changes. The building was commissioned by William Blackett, a well known local man with a considerable fortune made from his industrial and mining ventures. Initially the building was built in a block with four sides surrounding an open area. This was later covered and made to represent an Italian courtyard, decorated with Pre-raphaelite style pictorial panels by William Bell Scott depicting scenes from Northumbrian history ranging from the Roman occupation to the exploits of Grace Darling.

Standing guard on the approach to the Hall from the south are 4 huge stone griffin heads. These had been brought from Bishopsgate in London and are undoubtedly the ancestors of the modern day griffins which still stand watch over all roads leading into the City of London. Moving these effigies all those years ago was a major task and they were actually shipped to Amble as ballast in returning colliers.

Living in the nearby village of Kirkharle was a young boy by the name of Lancelot Brown and he passed the estate daily on his way to school. In 1765 he had become known as Capability Brown and he designed the extensive east gardens and they have changed very little since then.

The interior of the house was lavishly decorated and there is fine rococo plasterwork in many of the main rooms. This work was executed by two Italian brothers who were paid £23 for their labours!

In 1777 the Hall passed to the Trevelyan family but as they were comfortably settled in Somerset they showed little interest in Wallington. However in 1840 William Trevelyan and his wife Pauline moved in and the house enjoyed a new lease of life. It was visited by many celebrities of the day, including Ruskin and Turner. Lord Macaulay wrote his ‘History of England' there and the desk at which he sat is now an exhibit.

The last Trevelyan to live there was Charles, who, strangely enough was a zealous communist and is known to have visited Russia. A number of prominent Labour politicians visited the Hall, particularly around the times of the Durham Galas. 1929 the Hall was opened to visitors, free of charge. Inevitably the cost of maintaining such a large estate proved too much and the property, comprising the Hall and grounds, 17 farms and the village of Cambo, was bequeathed to the National Trust. The transfer included provision that the family can still live there for as long as they wish. At the present time there is still one family member living in part of the main Hall.

Under the stewardship of the National Trust, the Hall has become a major tourist attraction for thousands of visitors every year. and also plays host to many cultural and other events e.g. concerts, craft fairs, veteran car rallies, dog shows. It is also in great demand as a very spectacular and impressive location for weddings! The Hall contains an impressive collection of dolls houses and also Lady Wilson's ‘Cabinet of Curiosities' – a rather eccentric collection of period bric-a-brac.

Throughout weekends in July and August the Society will be holding a Summer Exhibition near the Market Cross in Alston. All are welcome to visit us. No admission charge but donations will be welcomed.