REPORT ON THE 2008 ANNUAL OUTING

Annual Outing 2008

At last month's meeting the Alston Moor Historical Society enjoyed a detailed presentation covering the history of Wallington Hall and its principal residents, namely, the Blacketts and, more recently, the Trevelyans. Excellent photographs of the grounds, buildings and contents were shown, giving a good idea of the splendour and magnificence of this property, now managed by the National Trust. However members of the Society who attended the outing to Wallington were very pleased to find that reality exceeded their expectations and, impressive as the photographs were, they did not prepare the visitors for the true scale and majesty of the Hall.

The weather forecast for the day was for showers with bright periods – and this is exactly what happened. Fortunately the showers were short but sharp and even those caught in the grounds were able to find a suitable tree under which to shelter. The grounds are extensive and it is a pity that the threatening weather did not encourage even the intrepid to stray too far from the main buildings. A wedding had taken place earlier in the day and in the sunken garden a photographer was valiantly trying to take pictures of the happy couple, with the best man holding an umbrella over them, moving it away at the moment the shutter closed. They all seemed to have entered into the spirit of the occasion!

The gardens were at their peak, with a magnificent display of perennials in their prime, whilst the greenhouse contained a colourful selection of more delicate plants including brightly coloured coleus – and a number of baby toads. However the star of the show was the house itself. Whilst enough of the house is open to be able to appreciate its opulence, some areas are still occupied by members of staff and, as required by the terms of the gift from the Trevelayans to the National Trust, an apartment is still occupied by an elderly member of the family. The furnishing and decoration of the rooms is opulent in the extreme yet still manages to exude a feeling that it was a family home and could be lived in without being oppressive. There are many family photographs on display and these add to the feeling that the family have just gone out on a visit and will return.

One room is dedicated to a collection of fully furnished dolls houses and the detail of the furniture and household goods is amazing. Also on display is a fine collection of over 2000 lead soldiers from the period of the Napoleonic wars. A room contains photographs of the girls from the Newcastle area who were evacuated there during WW11 and who were there for 2 unbroken years. If the photographs are anything to go by then they enjoyed their stay and letters, written after their departure, by the Trevelyans to the girl's school, speak of their good behaviour and co-operation in what would have been difficult times.

In the attic area is Lady Wilson's Cabinet of Curiosities. Perhaps it started life as a cabinet but the collection now occupies a whole room which is crammed with a wide range of unrelated exhibits. The good lady, being an inveterate traveller, acquired material from all round the world without any obvious pattern. The exhibits include the strange and bizarre e.g. narwhales tusks and a stuffed puffer fish, but the item which caught the attention of the more observant members of the Society was a piece of a skull said to belong to somebody named Harp, who had been involved in ‘a poaching affray in Alston'.

The most impressive feature of the Hall is a grand hall which was originally an open courtyard surrounded on four sides by the residential rooms. Pauline, Lady Wallingto, was a great patron of the arts and frequently entertained and supported leading members of the current arts scene. Swinburne Millais and Ruskin were regular visitors and it was the latter who suggested

the building of a roof over the yard, forming a grandiose space which was used a salon. The walls of this room now display large panel paintings depicting various episodes in the development of the North East dating back to Roman times and including Grace Darling.