111 Places in County Durham

Blagraves House

Officially the oldest house in Barney

Picture this: it’s October 1648. Barnard Castle’s now-tarmac roads are rickety cobbles, ridden over by horses and carts. Lieutenant Gen eral Oliver Cromwell is passing through the town en route to Rich mond, Yorkshire, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Two months have passed since the Second English Civil War ended.

He pulls up at a tall, imposing stone guesthouse. Here, he holds council with several local officials, and feasts on oatcakes and ‘burnt wine’ (brandy), before retiring to sleep after an arduous journey. Months away from signing the death warrant of Charles I, he requests the cover-up of an offending royalist crest on the second floor, should the Puritan hosts wish for him to stay overnight. The dramatic way this tale is regaled is fiction – but the details are believed to be true, recorded in an oft-cited diary entry, written by a man named Christopher Sanderson at the time. And amazingly, Oliver Cromwell’s famous visit is just one of many historic moments that Blagraves House has witnessed across its four storeys in more than half a millennium.

In 1484, Richard III – who has long been connected to Barney –gave the house to Joan Forest, the widow of the Keeper of the King’s Wardrobe. During the reign of Elizabeth I in the late 16th century, it was an inn known as The Boar’s Head, before the Blagraves family, in the 17th century, gave it its forever name. Its extensive cellars are said to have served many purposes over time, too – as an ale brewery, a dungeon, even as a passageway through to Egglestone Abbey (see ch. 5) and the town’s eponymous castle.

We’ll never really know everything that took place inside these hallowed, Grade I-listed walls. But when you visit the building – now operating as a charming restaurant – the traditional wooden-beamed ceilings, open fireplaces and grand banquet hall will help your imag ination to fill in the blanks.

Address 30 32 The Bank, Barnard Castle, DL12 8PN, +44 (0)1833 637668, www.blagraves.com | Getting there 41 minutes from Durham by car, or train to Darlington, then bus X 75/X 76 Max | Hours Tue Sat 7 9.30pm (last orders) | Tip Clock the four stone figures of musicians fixed to the building’s front. At some point, Blagraves House was a museum, and in its courtyard, there is still an intact (if slightly crumbled) statue of Charles I from that period.

The Bowes Silver Swan

A clockwork treasure

The Bowes Museum is known for its grand collections of furniture, textiles, art and design – as well as its bold, French architecture. Cer tainly, nothing else in Barnard Castle looks like it. John and Joséphine Bowes, its aristocratic founders, are also part of the draw. He was the illegitimate son of the 10th Earl of Strathmore and MP for South Durham. She was the captivating French actress and art ist, with impeccable taste, who became his wife. And they were, famously, related to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon – who later became Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

So why, when you look at the museum’s logo, do you see the image of a swan instead of a throne or a crown? It’s because its most pre cious jewel is not its royal connection, but one of its many examples of clockwork automata: the Silver Swan. For nearly a quarter of a millennium, she has sat elegantly atop a river of 141 rotating, twisted glass rods, just behind a school of bronze and silver fish. When she performs, jingling music plays and her neck – made of 113 perfectly placed silver rings – swerves and curves with striking realism, almost betraying a hint of a ghost inside the machine. Then she playfully cranes her neck downwards, capturing one of the fish in her beak.

It’s quite the dance, choreographed by inventor John Joseph Mer lin, who created the three mechanisms behind it, and original owner James Cox, back in 1773. Another 99 years would pass before the Silver Swan came to belong to John Bowes. He first saw her in 1867, at the Paris International Exhibition, and she was purchased from a French jeweller in 1872.

Sadly, in 2020, the Silver Swan’s clockwork mechanisms seized up, and so began a highly specialised repair by the museum’s experts. She remained in a glass cage, visible but unable to showcase her tal ents, for much of the following year. Future dazzling performances should absolutely be treasured.

Address Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, DL12 8NP, +44 (0)1833 690606, www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk | Getting there 38 minutes from Durham by car; nearest train station is Bishop Auckland; bus X 75 Max from Darlington | Hours Daily 10am 5pm | Tip The entire Bowes Museum is worth a visit, particularly the exhibit on its founders. Also walk through its acres of woodland – often you’ll spot a squirrel or two!

Chocolate Fayre

The chocolate shop of your childhood dreams

Any child lucky enough to have visited Chocolate Fayre in the 1990s or 2000s will have nothing but fond memories of its original premises. It was a small but fully functional and much-loved choc olate shop – displaying row upon row of delectable homemade sweets behind a classic glass counter.

When Teesdale local Sarah Wall saw the shop was on the market, she and Scottish husband Kenny Walker pounced on the opportunity to buy. Indeed, it was Sarah’s own childhood memories of the shop –particularly its kid-friendly chocolate animals – that inspired the sale. They opened Chocolate Fayre’s doors, under their management, in late 2013. Onwards and upwards. In 2018, they made the decision to expand their premises, and in 2019 opened the shop’s larger location, just over the road. And though they still have a drool-worthy choco late counter, everything feels a touch more modern.

Outside, with its large-lettered sign and eye-catching turquoise paint, the shop is infinitely more visible to passersby who have yet to visit. Inside is also upgraded. With a bigger shop, surely that means more chocolate? Judging by the walls stacked with neatly wrapped chocolate boxes, the answer is yes. The individual choco lates are still homemade by expert chocolatiers – passionfruit, red velvet and gin and elderflower are among the more unusual flavours. Vegan and low sugar offerings, marzipan fruits, Turkish Delight, indulgent Kendal Mint Cake and mouth-watering cupcake-shaped chocolates are also available.

Hot drinks are now in their repertoire – artisan roast coffee, looseleaf tea and their signature hot chocolate – which can be enjoyed in the shop’s true hidden gem: its Secret Garden, a sunny courtyard tucked away out back. Best of all, it has a small, enclosed play area for little ones. Meaning those happy, hopped-up-on-sugar, stickyfingered childhood memories will be even easier to make.

Address 10 Horse Market, Barnard Castle, DL12 8LZ, +44 (0)1833 631307, www.chocolatefayre.co.uk | Getting there 40 minutes from Durham by car, or train to Darlington, then bus X 75/X 76 Max | Hours Mon Sat 10am 5pm | Tip For more sweet treats in Barnard Castle, try classic cakes at Penny’s Tea Rooms, and at Gelato Lusso, choose from 24 rich gelato flavours.

County Bridge

A bridge of boundaries

This Grade I-listed, three-arched stone bridge, also known simply as Barnard Castle Bridge, has a long history behind it. But located on the outskirts of the castle wall, allowing you a picture-perfect vantage point of its majestic ruins, the first reason to visit is the view. This view drew the artist J. M. W. Turner to sketch it in 1797.

Looking down, you’ll see the billowing River Tees flowing away. On the opposite side to the castle, you’ll catch a glimpse of green fields in the neighbouring village of Startforth. Whichever direc tion your eyes wander, resplendent is the word that springs to mind. Particularly if you can walk across and around on a clear day, when the sun is out and shining brightly.

But what of the history? Well, once you’re standing on the bridge, you’re technically straddling the former boundary between County Durham and the county of North Yorkshire. Walking around, see if you can spot any worn-down letters carved in the bridge denoting as much: YNR, standing for Yorkshire North Riding. Before 1974, Barnard Castle itself was part of North Yorkshire – though is firmly classed as County Durham today. As things stand, the invisible boundary now lies miles further south.

Cast your mind much further back, 650 years or so. Surprisingly, you’d still be standing on the bridge, albeit a much earlier version. It was originally built in the 14th century, but later recreated after damage suffered in the Siege of Barnard Castle in 1569 – a reli gion-fuelled ‘Rebellion of the North’, which rallied against the rule of Elizabeth I, the Protestant Queen of England, in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic. People say the date of the Siege was carved onto the bridge incorrectly at a later date – Historic England records show that a stone somewhere reads ‘1596’. While such a mistake would be a very cool find, unfortunately even eagle-eyed visitors might struggle to spot it.

Egglestone Abbey

The abbey that almost wasn’t

Standing among the grand ruins of the former monastery Eggle stone Abbey, it’s hard to imagine the site being ‘demoted’ from remaining as such. But that is exactly what almost happened at the very beginning of the 13th century.

An abbey for the Catholic group officially known as the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (often called Premonstratensian White Canons in England), it was the Abbot of Prémontré (their leader, based in France) who arranged an inquiry in the early 1200s to determine whether Egglestone should be knocked back to priory level, as it was barely able to house the required number of Canons due to its small size. In short: Egglestone never did become a priory. Built between 1195 and 1198, it hadn’t been up very long, though, when such questions began to arise. And unfortunately, this wasn’t the only strife to face the abbey while it was still fully standing.

The Canons were, as many historic reports dictate, desperately poor. They were in great poverty much of the time, and the abbey wasn’t all that successful as a result and struggled to pay its taxes. Around 1315, it was in an even direr state after a Scots attack on Yorkshire during the Wars of the Bruces, and the English army caused further damage on their way to Scotland just decades later. From 1548, Egglestone Abbey changed hands a number of times, becoming more of a mansion than anything else. Eventually, it belonged to John Morritt, who owned nearby Rokeby Park (see ch. 62), and later English Heritage. It’s not the oldest or only one of its kind, but parts of it are still standing. Newsham Abbey in Lin colnshire was the first Premonstratensian abbey in England, founded in 1143, but is now essentially gone.

Some of Egglestone’s original features from its earliest days remain and are remarkably well kept. Parts of the nave of the church, built circa 1200, and the cloister, from around 1250, are still visible.

Address Abbey Lane, Barnard Castle, DL12 9TN, +44 (0)8703 331181 | Getting there 50 minutes by car from Durham; 6 minutes from Barnard Castle | Hours Daily 10am 6pm | Tip Eggleston (without the ‘e’) is a village 15 minutes or so from Barnard Castle, which is home to the lovely Eggleston Hall café and walled garden (www.egglestonhall.co.uk).

Hannah’s Meadow

A fitting tribute to the Daughter of the Dales

Red-cheeked, grey-haired and often bundled up in a headscarf and wellies, Hannah Hauxwell became an unlikely celebrity in 1973, when Yorkshire Television (now ITV Yorkshire) and filmmaker Barry Cockcroft featured her in Too Long a Winter, a documentary about the bleak conditions farmers in the Durham Dales were facing.

Born in 1926 in Baldersdale (then in North Yorkshire), Hannah toiled away, the sole owner of her family’s 80-acre farm, Low Birk Hatt, where she sold livestock. She was nearing 50 when her ‘bare necessities’ lifestyle – which saw her live without electricity or run ning water, with funds of just £250 a year (shy of £2,700 in today’s cash) – was broadcast to an audience.

Hannah’s steely charm, warm nature and independent spirit cap tured the country’s heart, making her a star. Admirers sent her care packages, so moved by her story, and eventually she received enough money from well-wishers to install electrics in her home.

Interest in Hannah’s humble life did not waver; it lasted her lifetime. Two more films followed: A Winter Too Many and Innocent Abroad –which saw her get a passport for the first time aged 66 and jet off to mainland Europe. She sold the farm, moving to a cosier cottage in nearby village Cotherstone. Between 1989 and 1994, she authored seven books. She lived to be 91. In her memory, a remote meadow near Low Birk Hatt was named after her. At Hannah’s Meadow, you can catch a glimpse of rural County Durham’s pristine nature.

The Durham Wildlife Trust maintains the meadow traditionally, for hay and pasture, making it some of the least-improved land in the region. Birds such as redshanks sing freely. Wildflowers aplenty bloom in June and July, from the common yellow marsh-marigold to the rare frog orchid. Mostly, you’ll have the whole place to your self. A touch of the quiet solitude that helped make Hannah a wellliked figure of national interest.

Address Pennine Way, Barnard Castle, DL12 9UX | Getting there 57 minutes by car from Durham; 22 minutes from Barnard Castle. Hannah’s Meadow is very remote, so don’t attempt public transport. | Hours Accessible 24 hours | Tip Hannah’s gravestone can be visited at Romaldkirk Cemetery, in the Durham village Romaldkirk, not too far from Low Birk Hatt Farm.

Mission Hall Antiques

County Durham’s dedicated antiques centre

It’s no secret that Barnard Castle is a treasure trove for antique lov ers. Several antique shops have slowly disappeared from its shop ping streets in the last few decades, but fortunately some – like the very things they sell – have stood the test of time.

Mission Hall Antiques Centre isn’t a straightforward shop, but a fully fledged centre, believed to be the only of its kind in the county. A shiny cavern made up of offshoot rooms and in its middle a tall, lengthy, sprawling cabinet, consistently glittering with great finds.

It opened in 2007, and now deals with more than 40 traders, selling pottery, ceramics, silver, jewellery, old tools, kitchenalia, mil itary medals, furniture and other collectibles. The list could go on, and on. Little wonder BBC’s Antiques Road Trip have paid a visit. The centre is family run, by father and son duo David and Dale Robson, who have also owned the antiques shop just opposite, Rob son Antiques, since 1987. While their titular store may specialise in furniture, silverware and local Durham quilts, Mission Hall has the best of everything. This is in part down to Dale’s late mother, Anne, who set alight the family’s passion for antiques more than 40 years ago. When Dale was a child, Anne would often get involved in antique fairs. She adored vintage clothing – before ‘vintage’ trans lated to ‘cool’ – and he recalls she went with her gut when it came to buying, even driving prices higher at auctions if an antique or item of interest ‘spoke to her’.

Today, dad David, once a farmer, takes on the restorations and behind-the-scenes work necessary to keep the centre running. And both shops are managed by David ‘The Suit’ Stein – Anne’s former business partner. As is often the case with family businesses, the atmosphere at Mission Hall is friendly and fair – so don’t shy away from asking for a small discount. You’ll certainly find it hard to leave here empty handed.

Old Well Inn Beer Garden

The Goldilocks of beer gardens

Walk into any of the pubs sandwiched between shops and cafés in Barnard Castle’s town centre, and you’re likely to be welcomed in a warm manner. Whether it’s to watch football, or simply take a load off after a day of exploring, before you know it you’ll be sitting down comfortably with a pint clasped firmly in your hand. Most pubs in Barney do booze, classic pub food, and promise a good time, so sin gling one out almost feels silly. Visit as many as your liver, stomach or bank balance will allow (within reason, obviously). Choose from The Golden Lion, Three Horseshoes and The Cricketers Arms, among countless others.

The Old Well Inn, on sloping The Bank, does have one major selling point worthy of special mention. It has the Goldilocks of beer gardens. Not too big, not too small, not too noisy nor too quiet – everything about it is just right. Best enjoyed when it’s sunny in spring or on a warm, summer afternoon, you’ll also be treated to three different viewpoints as you sip your choice tipple or bite into a (rather good) burger. On entry, you’ll immediately notice that it backs up on to Barnard Castle’s mighty stone wall. Views of the castle are impossible here, but if you turn your attention upwards, above the pub’s roof, you’ll notice the top spire of St Mary’s Church. Another vantage point provides a peaceful view of green fields (maybe even a few sheep in the distance) in the neighbouring village of Startforth.

Beyond this charming sitting area, the pub itself has a long his tory. It dates back to the 12th century, it’s believed, and in the early 1900s, was a tavern called The Railway Hotel. As a billet during World War I, The Railway Hotel developed something of a reputa tion for extremely uncomfortable beds, which thankfully isn’t true of The Old Well Inn today. And yep, it did indeed once have an actual well on site. Sadly, though, it’s no longer present.

Address 21 The Bank, Barnard Castle, DL12 8PH, +44 (0)1833 690130, www.theoldwellinn.co.uk | Getting there 41 minutes from Durham by car, or train to Darlington, then bus X 75/X 76 Max | Hours Daily noon midnight | Tip Pre (or even post)-pint, head to nearby Babul’s (9 Market Place) for an award-winning curry.

Ranter’s Yard

A healthy dose of nostalgia

On Barnard Castle’s antique-packed The Bank, a bright red and notably tiny shop called Ranter’s Yard has emerged. It’s stuffed to the brim with a dizzying collection of just about everything you could want from a quirky collectibles shop: authentic retro toys, sci-fi memorabilia, classic antiques, military ware and totally unique, sometimes even strange items.

Nearly every nook and cranny of the shop is completely covered in something old, cool or vintage you can buy. Barely an inch of wall space is spared. And it’s worth it, because just about everyone who sets foot inside will find something, anything, that triggers a reminiscence, or when it comes to the toys, a happy childhood memory of playtime. ‘Ah, look!’ ‘Remember this?’ ‘I used to have one of those’ and ‘This is interesting’ are all phrases you can expect to hear at Ranter’s Yard.

For a shop that specialises in nostalgia, it is relatively new. It only opened in 2018, with big shoes to fill as it joined a prestigious set of antique stores: The Mission Hall Antiques Centre (see ch. 7) and Robson’s Antiques, White’s Antiques, The Collector Antiques and, famously, David Harper Fine Art & Antique Auctions, owned by the TV star antiques expert David Harper – you know, from BBC One’s Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt.

Ranter’s Yard is owned, however, by Chris Horner. Originally from Thornaby, near Stockton-on-Tees, Chris got into antiquing by salvaging gems from knocked-down buildings as a youngster. His shop may be new, but Historic England has designated the narrow, three-storey stone property – and indeed plenty more houses on The Bank – as Grade II-listed, as it dates back to the late 1700s, with the shop a mid-1800s construction. Surely no one could ever dream of knocking them down. A yard exists out back, inaccessible to visitors, which is believed to have once been connected to an old chapel, where ranters would gather to pray.

Stone Boars

Fading reminders of Richard III’s influence

Near a bench at the Amen Corner miniature garden, outside of St Mary’s Parish Church, is a navy plaque devoted to Richard III.

Not only was he Duke of Gloucester and (for a two-year spell) the King of England, but he was also Lord of Barnard Castle. From 1474, until his violent death during the Wars of the Roses’ Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the plaque says he took a ‘close interest’ in his territory, improving the castle (where he was said to spend consider able time), along with the church itself.

Most of the original features inside the church were touched by Richard III in some way – just look at the stone arches, or some of the interior carvings. But what the plaque does not mention is that there is a visible reminder of Richard III’s influence on the church’s exterior, too. A carving of his emblem, the white boar, etched beside one of the east windows. Make no mistake: it’s extremely hard to spot. Over time, it has eroded significantly, now blending into the stone – though you can still make out the shape of a boar once your eye has landed in the right place. It could be argued that the thrill of locating such an odd, little-documented remnant is more appealing than the actual sight of the carving itself.

It’s not the only stone boar left in Barnard Castle. One can be found at the castle ruin, though it’s even more badly worn than St Mary’s. Another was removed from a shopfront on Newgate and preserved in the Bowes Museum, protecting it from any further wear and tear. It’s possible to walk between these three sites – an unofficial trail of sorts – as the locations are not far apart. A 1990s map by retired teacher Margaret Watson, drawn on paper, exists and is avail able on St Mary’s website. And though it isn’t made of stone, when you see Barnard Castle Town Council’s coat of arms, you’ll spot another example of a boar – this time visibly white, and stood atop a red shield and golden crown.

Address St Mary’s Parish Church, Newgate, Barnard Castle, DL12 8NQ, +44 (0)1833 637018, www.stmarysbarnardcastle.org.uk | Getting there Nearest train station is Bishop Auckland; bus 71 (from Startforth) or 79 (from Richmond) | Hours 24 hours outside, Mon Fri 10am 4pm inside | Tip Inside the church, an effigy of Saint Anthony also, funnily enough, includes two stone boars. It’s not known if this is connected to Richard III, but it does seem likely.

Elizabeth Atkin is a writer and editor, orig inally from North East England. She has contributed to publications such as Metro, The Independent, Waltham Forest Echo and Wanderlust magazine, where she was previ ously digital editor and wrote The Wanderlust World Travel Quiz Book.

Laura Atkin is a photographer, artist, graphic designer and programmer. She has photo graphed for numerous local businesses and boutiques in the North East, where she cur rently lives.